Starz Shines on Hollywood

Starz Shines on Hollywood

Starz Entertainment Group Enters Multi-Year Sponsorship With Hollywood Film Festival(R)

Starz to Present the 10th Annual Hollywood Film Festival(R) and Host the Hollywood Awards(R) After Party at Beverly Hilton Hotel

ENGLEWOOD, Colo., May 17 /PRNewswire/ -- Continuing the company's efforts to strengthen its support and presence at major film festivals around the country, Starz Entertainment Group (SEG) has inked a multi-year sponsorship with the Hollywood Film Festival(R) (HFF), which includes being the presenting sponsor of this year's festival taking place October 17-23. In addition, SEG will host the festival's closing party after the Hollywood Awards(R) ceremony at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills on October 23.

SEG, which has been associated with the HFF since 2004, will present "Buy the Ticket, Take the Ride: Hunter S. Thompson on Film," a look at the late gonzo journalist's influence on celebrities, politicos and other writers. The film features interviews with Hunter's inner circle of family and friends, but the thrust is focused on the manner in which his life often overlapped with numerous Hollywood celebrities who became his close friends, such as Johnny Depp and Benicio Del Toro ("Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas"); Bill Murray ("Where the Buffalo Roam"); Sean Penn, John Cusack, former Senators George McGovern and Gary Hart, Tom Wolfe, William F. Buckley, Gary Busey, Harry Dean Stanton, artist Ralph Steadman and others.

This marks the third consecutive year SEG has presented one of their films at HFF. At last year's festival, they premiered "Bullets Over Hollywood" and in 2004, "The Cutting Edge: The Magic of Movie Editing."

"We've enjoyed our relationship with the festival and its Executive Director, Carlos de Abreu," says David Charmatz, SEG senior vice president, channel management. "He's done an amazing job in the festival's ten-year history, bridging the gap between established Hollywood and emerging filmmakers, something that is important to SEG. This year, we've decided to step up our efforts and get even more involved with the festival for the long term, and that includes hosting a must-attend party at the Hilton, where everyone can relax or schmooze after the awards."

Says de Abreu, "I've certainly enjoyed working with the whole group at SEG and am excited that they've upped their involvement with us. Through this partnership, SEG will provide a broad range of communication resources, both online and offline, and marketing leadership that will significantly increase HFF's efforts to expand the festival and awards. Their support will take us to the next level. Therefore, guaranteeing that we will continue our quest to both discover embryonic filmmakers and honor Hollywood talent."

This year the festival will celebrate its 10th anniversary by expanding its film and events program. The festival will include symposiums, premieres, special screenings and parties. Over 100 films will be showcased.

The Hollywood Film Festival kicks off October 17 for a seven-day series of screenings and special presentations with Q/A sessions at Arclight Cinemas in Hollywood. On October 23, the festival culminates with the prestigious Hollywood Awards(R), which honor established Hollywood talent, international talent and emerging filmmakers. http://www.hollywoodfestival.com/

Last year's festival was one of the best yet, with awards going to such Hollywood notables as Diane Keaton, Joaquin Phoenix, Charlize Theron, Susan Sarandon, Jake Gyllenhaal, Rachel McAdams, George Lucas, Paul Haggis, and the cast of "Crash," among others. The festival and awards generated more than 500,000,000 media impressions in a mix of broadcast and cable/network television, Internet, and print.

Starz Entertainment Group LLC (SEG) is a premium movie service provider operating in the United States. SEG offers 16 movie channels including the flagship Starz(R) and Encore(R) brands with approximately 14.6 million and 26.4 million subscribers respectively. Starz Entertainment Group airs more than 1,000 movies per month across its pay TV channels and offers advanced services including Starz HDTV, Starz On Demand and Vongo(SM). Starz Entertainment Group is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Liberty Media Corporation that is attributed to Liberty Capital Group, www.starz.com.

Contacts: Steve Belgard Jonathan Taylor
Starz Entertainment Group The Lippin Group
(720) 852-5843 (323) 969-1990
steve.belgard@starz.comjtaylor@lippingroup.com

Source: Starz Entertainment Group LLC

CONTACT: Steve Belgard of Starz Entertainment Group, +1-720-852-5843,
steve.belgard@starz.com; or Jonathan Taylor of The Lippin Group,
+1-323-969-1990, jtaylor@lippingroup.com, for Starz Entertainment Group

Web site: http://www.starz.com/
http://www.hollywoodfestival.com/

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