Sundance Channel Acquires True Crime Mini-Series The Staircase By Oscar(R)-Winning Director Jean-Xavier De Lestrade

Sundance Channel Acquires True Crime Mini-Series The Staircase By Oscar(R)-Winning Director Jean-Xavier De Lestrade

Eight-Part Film Makes U.S. Premiere On DOCday Monday April 4, 2005

NEW YORK, Feb. 7 /PRNewswire/ -- Sundance Channel has acquired pay television rights to the critically acclaimed true-crime documentary The Staircase, an eight-part miniseries directed by Jean-Xavier de Lestrade (Murder on a Sunday Morning). The Staircase, which follows the thrilling twists and turns of the investigation into the cause of death of Durham, NC resident and Nortel executive, Kathleen Peterson, will premiere as a special Sundance Channel DOCday series beginning on April 4, 2005, with two episodes airing back-to-back every Monday night at 9:00pm.

Laura Michalchyshyn, Executive Vice President, Programming and Marketing, said, "The Staircase is a lurid and true story that must be seen to be believed. It leaves the viewer absolutely on edge and is the kind of compelling television that Sundance Channel is eager to offer to its audience."

The Staircase, a Maha Films production, is the latest film by de Lestrade, who won the 2002 Academy Award(R) for Best Documentary Feature for Murder on a Sunday Morning. It was produced by Oscar-winning producer Denis Poncet.

The Staircase delves into the mystery surrounding the death of Kathleen Peterson, who was married to novelist Michael Peterson. On the night of December 9, 2001, an agitated Michael Peterson called 911 and told the operator that he had found his wife, unconscious but still breathing, at the bottom of the stairs. When the police arrived, they found Kathleen lying dead in a pool of blood and began treating the home as a crime scene. One week later, Michael Peterson was charged with first-degree murder.

In eight tautly structured chapters, The Staircase takes viewers inside an unpredictable real-life drama as Peterson's sons and adopted daughters rally to his defense and his legal team prepares to battle the prosecution. Meanwhile, Durham's district attorney and his assistant build a case that will put the Peterson marriage -- and Michael Peterson's private life -- at the center of the trial. Reviewing the series, which ran in Canada as Death on the Staircase, Henrietta Walmark of The Globe and Mail wrote, "Death on the Staircase is a rare thing: an eight-hour documentary with twists and turns as compelling as any found in classic whodunits ... . It's a masterful work from Jean-Xavier de Lestrade ... that will leave you unsettled."

The deal was negotiated by Christian Vesper, Vice President Acquisitions, Sundance Channel, and by Catherine Le Clef, of the Paris-based Doc & Co. on behalf of the filmmakers.

Under the creative direction of Robert Redford, Sundance Channel brings television viewers daring and engaging feature films, shorts, documentaries, world cinema and animation, shown uncut and with no commercials. Through its original programs, Sundance Channel connects viewers with filmmakers, the creative process, and the world of independent film. Launched in 1996, Sundance Channel is a venture between NBC Universal, Robert Redford, and Showtime Networks Inc. Sundance Channel operates independently of the non- profit Sundance Institute and the Sundance Film Festival, but shares the overall Sundance mission of supporting independent artists and providing them with wider opportunities to present their work to audiences.


Source: Sundance Channel

CONTACT: Sarah Eaton, Senior Vice President, Public Relations,
+1-212-654-1613, or fax, +1-212-654-4738, sarah.eaton@sundancechannel.com, or
Katie Lanegran, Director, Public Relations of Sundance Channel,
+1-212-654-3398, or fax, +1-212-654-4738, katie.lanegran@sundancechannel.com,
both of Sundance Channel

Web site: http://www.sundancechannel.com/


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