Virgin America Unveils New Independent Film & Entertainment Line Up at the Sundance Film Festival

Virgin America Unveils New Independent Film & Entertainment Line Up at the Sundance Film Festival

From the latest independent films on the Sundance Channel, to brilliant talks from today's cultural giants and unedited versions of big screen favorites - Virgin America aims to be the entertainment junkie's airline of choice.

PARK CITY, Utah, Jan. 22 /PRNewswire/ -- Virgin America today announced a new line-up of original, director's cut film, documentary and entertainment content for the airline's Red(tm) Inflight Entertainment System, live from the Sundance Film Festival. Guests on the next generation carrier will soon have access to a new line-up of award-winning independent feature films and original programming from the Sundance Channel, the critically-acclaimed TED Talks series, as well as unedited versions of big screen latest releases.

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20080122/LATU200 )

Virgin America is the only U.S. airline to feature unedited, on-demand original versions of films when available, including latest release movies.

"Whether it is respecting the director's vision with unedited versions of major releases like the Golden Globe-nominated Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story, or bold, new content from up-and-coming filmmakers, we want to bring the highest quality, original content to our guests," said Charles Ogilvie, Virgin America's Director of Inflight Entertainment and Partnerships. "With the Sundance Channel for Red(tm), our guests already have access to the best that independent filmmaking has to offer, and with some of the most creative directors and producers bringing projects to the festival this year, our 2008 line-up promises to be even more exciting."

Sundance Channel for Red(tm) is exclusively programmed for Virgin America, so that guests at every seat on every flight can access the best in independent, thought-provoking film content. Beginning in March, Virgin America will premier a new line-up of feature films, documentaries and Sundance Channel originals, including the critically-acclaimed "Sin City Law" from Academy Award-winning filmmakers Denis Poncet and Jean-Xavier de Lestrade and "Tina Barney: Social Studies" a documentary by Jaci Judelson that chronicles the life and work of this acclaimed photographer.

"Sundance Channel is excited to partner with Virgin America to bring the work of emerging and established filmmakers worldwide to a whole new audience on Virgin America's flights," said Kirk Iwanowski, Executive Vice President, Marketing, Branded Entertainment & Sponsorship. "Virgin America's commitment to independent film is clear and we look forward to seeing even more groundbreaking content on the carrier's flights in 2008."

Virgin America also will be the first airline to feature the internationally-acclaimed TED Talks lecture series in flight. The critically-praised TED Talks series brings together leaders from the worlds of technology, entertainment and design. The exclusive TED Talks channel will premier on Virgin America flights in March and will feature some of the most compelling and groundbreaking thinkers of our time -- including former President Bill Clinton, designer Philippe Starck, rock star/activist Bono and Google founders Sergey Brin and Larry Page.

Virgin America's Red(tm) system offers guests 25 on-demand movies, live TV, videogames, Google Maps, 3,000 MP3s, seat-to-seat chat and a host of other features via a 9-inch video touch-screen at every seatback.

About Sundance Channel:

Under the creative direction of Robert Redford, Sundance Channel is the television destination for independent-minded viewers seeking something different. Bold, uncompromising and irreverent, Sundance Channel offers audiences a diverse and engaging selection of films, documentaries, and original programs, all unedited and commercial free. Launched in 1996, Sundance Channel is a venture of NBC Universal, CBS and Robert Redford.

Sundance Channel operates independently of the non-profit Sundance Institute and the Sundance Film Festival, but shares the overall Sundance mission of encouraging artistic freedom of expression.

Sundance Channel's website address is http://www.sundancechannel.com/

About TED:

TED is an invitation-only event where the world's leading thinkers and doers gather for inspiration and insight. TED stands for Technology, Entertainment, Design, but the event is broader still, showcasing ideas that matter in any discipline. Attendees have called it "The ultimate brain spa" and "A four-day journey into the future." Recent speakers have included Bill Clinton, Paul Simon, Richard Branson, Philippe Starck, Jane Goodall, Frank Gehry and Bono. TED was first held in Monterey, CA in 1984. In 2001, Chris Anderson's Sapling Foundation acquired TED from its founder Richard Saul Wurman, and expanded on its mission. In addition to the conference, TED now encompasses a humanitarian prize (the TED Prize), an international conference, TEDGlobal, and an award-winning website, TED.com, devoted to "Ideas worth spreading." In July 2006, TED introduced TEDTalks, the critically acclaimed video series of TED Conference presenters, available to the public free of charge online. New talks are released weekly, and are watched by millions worldwide. For more information, visit http://www.ted.com/.

About Virgin America:

As San Francisco's hometown airline, Virgin America is a next generation low-fare carrier that will serve as many as 10 cities within a year of operation, and up to 30 cities within five years. Virgin America's base of operations is San Francisco International Airport's ultra-modern, spacious and convenient International Terminal, which was completed in 2000. The airline's brand-new Airbus A320-family aircraft offer guests their own interactive in- flight entertainment systems, plugs for laptops and other portable electronic devices and a host of other features aimed at bringing a little fun back to flying. To learn more visit: http://www.virginamerica.com/

Media Contact: Abby Lunardini, Director of Corporate Communications
for Virgin America
(650) 533-7576 / abby.lunardini@virginamerica.com

First Call Analyst:
FCMN Contact:

Photo: NewsCom:

http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20080122/LATU200
PRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.com
Source: Virgin America

CONTACT: Abby Lunardini, Director of Corporate Communications for Virgin
America, +1-650-533-7576, abby.lunardini@virginamerica.com

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

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