HBO, Comcast and The Jacksonville Office of Film & Television to Host Florida Premiere of HBO Films' 'Recount,' Shot Locally, on Wednesday, May 14, at The Florida Theatre

HBO, Comcast and The Jacksonville Office of Film & Television to Host Florida Premiere of HBO Films' 'Recount,' Shot Locally, on Wednesday, May 14, at The Florida Theatre

Director and Executive Producer Jay Roach, Actor Bruce Mcgill, Executive Producer and Emmy(R) Winner Paula Weinstein, Executive Producer Len Amato, Writer Danny Strong, and Producer Michael Hausman are Scheduled to Attend Invitation-Only Premiere

Two-Time Oscar(R) Winner Kevin Spacey Leads Ensemble Cast of HBO Films' 'Recount' Revisiting the Controversial 2000 Presidential Election; Directed by Jay Roach, Debuting May 25 On HBO

JACKSONVILLE, Fla., April 30 /PRNewswire/ -- HBO, Comcast and The Jacksonville Office of Film & Television, a division of the Jacksonville Economic Development Commission, will co-host the Florida premiere of HBO Films' RECOUNT, on Wednesday, May 14, at an invitation-only screening event at The Florida Theatre. Director and executive producer Jay Roach, actor Bruce McGill, executive producer and Emmy(R) winner Paula Weinstein, HBO Films senior vice president and executive producer, Len Amato, writer Danny Strong, and producer Michael Hausman are scheduled to attend. A variety of local talent and other professionals involved in the production and several of the real-life characters involved in the actual events portrayed in the film are also expected to attend.

Two-time Oscar(R) winner Kevin Spacey ("American Beauty," "The Usual Suspects") leads the ensemble cast of HBO Films' RECOUNT. Directed by Jay Roach ("Meet the Parents") and shot on location in Jacksonville and Tallahassee, RECOUNT revisits one of the most riveting and controversial moments in U.S. history -- the 2000 presidential election in Florida -- exploring the story behind the headlines to depict the 36-day tactical battle to determine who would become the 43rd President of the United States. Debuting SUNDAY, MAY 25 (9:00-11:00 p.m. ET/PT) on HBO, RECOUNT also stars (in alphabetical order) Bob Balaban ("For Your Consideration"), Ed Begley, Jr. ("Living with Ed"), Laura Dern ("Year of the Dog"), John Hurt ("The Elephant Man"), Denis Leary ("Rescue Me"), Bruce McGill ("Cinderella Man") and Tom Wilkinson ("Michael Clayton").

A Spring Creek/Mirage production in association with Trigger Street Productions and Everyman Pictures, RECOUNT is executive produced by Emmy(R) winner Paula Weinstein (HBO's "Truman"), HBO Films senior vice president Len Amato ("Blood Diamond"), Oscar(R) winner Sydney Pollack ("Out of Africa") and Jay Roach, and written by Danny Strong. Michael Hausman ("Brokeback Mountain") produces.

RECOUNT offers a riveting behind-the-scenes look at the Florida presidential vote recount from Election Day in November 2000 through the Supreme Court's ruling in favor of George W. Bush over Al Gore five weeks later. Mixing larger-than-life personalities with more dramatic twists than ever could have been imagined (and adding the expressions "butterfly ballot" and "hanging chad" to the American lexicon), the film takes a fascinating look at the human drama of characters involved in the chain of events that would determine the leadership of the country. First-time writer Danny Strong's script is energetic, gripping and provocative, and creates an emotional roller coaster ride for the audience. His extensive research included a compendium of books, news coverage, court transcripts, and other written and recorded accounts, as well as first-person interviews with more than 40 of the real-life players from across the political spectrum.

Kevin Spacey portrays Ron Klain, Vice President Al Gore's former chief of staff. Tom Wilkinson portrays James A. Baker III, who was previously Secretary of State to President George H. W. Bush. Denis Leary plays Michael Whouley, national field director during the Gore campaign. Laura Dern portrays Katherine Harris, Florida Secretary of Stat. Bob Balaban portrays Ben Ginsberg, national counsel to the Bush-Cheney campaign in the 2000 election. John Hurt plays Warren Christopher, former Secretary of State to President Bill Clinton. Bruce McGill plays Republican lobbyist Mac Stipanovich. Ed Begley, Jr. portrays attorney David Boies, who represented the Gore campaign before the Supreme Court.

"Having HBO film their movie RECOUNT in Jacksonville was a great economic generator for the city, with a local impact of more than $3.3 million," said Jacksonville Mayor John Peyton. "We are excited that the film is premiering here, which underscores what an ideal location Jacksonville provides for film and television production!"

"The success of HBO's RECOUNT is another example of how Jacksonville's working professionals, vendors and city officials team together to provide excellent service," said Todd Roobin, Film Commissioner of the Jacksonville Film & Television Office. "This film will continue to enhance Jacksonville's film and television infrastructure and help promote the city's reputation as a great film and television production center."

Bruce McGill (Mac Stipanovich) previously starred in the HBO Films productions "Live from Baghdad," "Path to War" and "61*." He has appeared in more than 60 motion pictures, among them "Cinderella Man," "Collateral," "Elizabethtown," "The Insider," "Runaway Jury," "Matchstick Men," "Legally Blonde 2," "The Sum of All Fears," "Ali," "The Legend of Bagger Vance," "The Insider," "Rosewood," "Timecop," "My Cousin Vinny," "The Last Boy Scout," "No Mercy," "Silkwood" and "National Lampoon's Animal House." McGill's TV credits includes guest appearances on "CSI," "The Practice," "Gideon's Crossing," "Home Improvement," "Star Trek: Voyager," "The Commish," "Quantum Leap," "MacGyver" and "Miami Vice," as well as the TV films "The Ballad of Lucy Whipple" and "Inside the Osmonds."

Jay Roach's (director, executive producer) directing credits include all three "Austin Powers" movies, as well as "Meet the Parents" and "Meet the Fockers." His producing credits include "Charlie Bartlett," "Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan," "Meet the Fockers" and "Meet the Parents." He is currently set to direct "Felt's War," which is based on the story of Mark Felt and the Watergate scandal, for Universal Pictures.

Danny Strong (writer) began his career as an actor with guest appearances on such TV shows as "Third Rock from the Sun," "Seinfeld" and "Nip/Tuck," and roles in the feature films "Pleasantville" and "Seabiscuit." A graduate of the USC School of Theater, Strong played Jonathan Levinson on "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" for five years and Doyle on "Gilmore Girls" for four seasons. RECOUNT is the first produced script for Strong, who was named one of "10 Screenwriters to Watch" by Variety in 2007.

Paula Weinstein (executive producer) has produced such films as "Blood Diamond," "Rumor Has It" and "Monster-In-Law," as well as the HBO Films' "Iron Jawed Angels" and "Truman," for which she received an Emmy(R). Her other production credits include "The Perfect Storm," "The Fabulous Baker Boys," "Analyze This," "Analyze That," "Bandits," "Something to Talk About," "Liberty Heights," "Possession," "Nine to Five," "Brubaker," "Body Heat" and HBO's "Citizen Cohn." She created Spring Creek Productions with Mark Rosenberg in 1990.

Len Amato (executive producer) is senior vice president of HBO Films. Prior to joining HBO, he was president of Spring Creek Productions, co-founded by Paula Weinstein and Mark Rosenberg. His credits as producer and executive producer include "Analyze This," "Analyze That," "Possession," "Deliver Us from Eva," "Rumor Has It," "The Astronaut Farmer" and the Golden Globe- and Oscar(R)-nominated "Blood Diamond." Amato made his producing debut in 1997 with HBO's "First Time Felon," continuing his relationship with the network as executive producer of HBO Films' "Iron Jawed Angels."

Michael Hausman (producer) has worked with director Milos Forman on eight films, including "Taking Off" (as production manager/associate producer); "Hair" (first assistant director); "Ragtime," "Amadeus" and "Man on the Moon" (executive producer); and "Valmont" and "The People vs. Larry Flynt" (producer). He has also executive produced three films for director Robert Benton, including "Twilight," "Nobody's Fool" and "Places in the Heart," and was executive producer (with Lindsey Doran) on Sydney Pollack's "The Firm," "A Family Thing" and "No Mercy." In addition, Hausman's producing credits include "Homicide," "Things Change" and "House of Games" for writer-director David Mamet, as well as Mike Nichols' "Silkwood" and Elaine May's "Mikey and Nicky." Hausman's recent film credits include "Gangs of New York," "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind," "Brokeback Mountain" and "All the King's Men."

Source: HBO

CONTACT: Carmen Argamasilla, +1-305-446-6695, or +1-305-491-3051,
carmen@redfoxpr.com, for HBO

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