WARNER BROS. ANNOUNCES 'MOVIES THAT MATTER'
FILM FESTIVAL
Fifteen all-time classics remastered, restored – and returned to the big screen
2nd May 2008 - Warner Bros. today launched the first ‘Movies that Matter’ Film Festival, bringing a selection of the world’s most-loved movies to the big screen – totally remastered and restored to their original pristine condition.
The Warner Bros initiative – which has been created in partnership with the British Film Institute, The Times, Vue Cinemas, Arts Alliance Media and classic film distributors Park Circus - will allow movie fans to enjoy a selection of all time greats, including Casablanca, Singing in the Rain and The Wizard of Oz, all remastered to flawless, crystal-clear 2k resolution digital cinema, the highest quality standard in cinemas today.
The Warner ‘Movies that Matter’ season will kick off on 12th May with Michael Curtiz’ iconic romantic masterpiece, Casablanca, with screenings taking place at 30 selected Vue Cinema locations across the UK. The print has been fully restored, retouched and remastered – offering movie fans of all ages the chance to enjoy the timeless classic on the big screen, as it was meant to be seen.
Other Warner titles running in the ‘Movies that Matter’ Film Festival collection read like an A-Z of all that is great about the last sixty years of cinema. From Gone With the Wind and The Wizard of Oz to Rebel Without a Cause and North by Northwest, the festival has something for everyone who loves the silver screen.
The film festival is being supported by The Times and timesonline.co.uk, who will be offering readers a special 2 for 1 offer on Vue cinema tickets. The Times will alsopublicise the festival through 16 colour page adverts throughout the season, as well as publishing a ‘100 Best Movies of all Time’ supplement as a print and online insert, including the 15 Warner ‘Movies that Matter’ titles.
Arts Alliance Media (AAM), Europe's leading specialist in digital cinema technology, has encoded and mastered the movies, along with providing the digital prints. Using the latest digital technology, the classic films - which are usually only available on DVD and TV - have been restored for the big screen, scratch and dust free, bringing them back to life in high-definition cinema quality.
The ‘Movies that Matter’ Film Festival will launch on Monday May 12th, running for 15 consecutive weeks and showcasing a different classic film each week. Once fans have enjoyed their favourite classics on the big screen, they will also be able to own them forever thanks to the Warner ‘Movies that Matter’ DVD range.
The full line up for the first Warner Bros. ‘Movies That matter’ film festival is:
Casablanca; Singing in the Rain; The Wizard of Oz; East of Eden; The Wild Bunch; Dial M for Murder; Death in Venice; The Searchers; Rebel Without a Cause; Gone with the Wind; North by Northwest; Dirty Harry; Blazing Saddles; What Happened to Baby Jane; Bonnie and Clyde.
For more information consumers can visit:Warner Movies that Matter http://www.warnermtm.co.uk/
The Times, Top 100 Films: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/top100films
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Contact:
Charlotte Muskett / Gemma Pears - Nelson Bostock Communications
warnerhd@nelsonbostock.com / Tel: 020 7792 7409
Claire Fitt - Warner Home Video (UK)
claire.fitt@warnerbros.com / Tel: 020 7984 5283
Kate Pidgeon, Arts Alliance Media
kate.pidgeon@artsalliancemedia.com
For more information visit www.warnermtm.co.uk
Warner Home Video
With operations in 91 international territories, Warner Home Video commands the largest distribution infrastructure in the global video marketplace. Warner Home Video’s film library is the largest of any studio, offering top quality new and vintage titles from the repertoires of Warner Bros. Pictures Inc., Turner Entertainment Company, Castle Rock Entertainment, HBO Home Video and New Line Home Entertainment.
Arts Alliance Media:
Arts Alliance Media, based in London and Paris, is Europe's leading provider of digital film distribution services, dedicated to building a European digital network to deliver film to the cinema, to the home and between industry players. AAM provides end-to-end digital cinema solutions encompassing equipment selection, financing and integration, operator training, installation and support, and content management and delivery. To date, AAM’s in-house digital cinema lab has encoded over 230 digital cinema titles and shipped over 5000 digital prints. AAM has signed digital cinema deployment agreements with Twentieth Century Fox, Universal Pictures International, Paramount Pictures International, Sony Pictures Releasing International and Walt Disney Studios International, and signed its first exhibitor agreement in November 2007, with CGR Cinemas in France, to digitize 100% of its 400 screens. AAM also source, manage and actively promote ‘Alternative Content’ programming for cinemas. AAM was founded in 2003 by Thomas C. Hoegh who serves as Chairman of the Board. Further information can be found at www.artsalliancemedia.com