Comcast and The Trust for the National Mall Join With HBO to Present Screen on the Green

Comcast and The Trust for the National Mall Join With HBO to Present Screen on the Green

FREE OUTDOOR FILM FESTIVAL RETURNS TO NATIONAL MALL CELEBRATING ITS 10th YEAR

FIRST MOVIE OF THE SUMMER ANNOUNCED

WASHINGTON, June 10 /PRNewswire/ -- Comcast and the Trust for the National Mall announced today that they are joining forces with Time Warner's HBO to bring back a cherished summertime tradition and ensure that Screen on the Green returns this summer to the National Mall. Their partnership will allow the event's thousands of fans to continue to enjoy this unique experience: movies framed by the spectacular beauty of the Washington Monument and the U.S. Capitol Building and viewed from the National Mall.

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20090610/NY30739)

Screen on the Green will be back on Monday evenings at sunset from July 20th - August 10th. Classic films will once again be shown on a giant 20' x 40' outdoor screen on The National Mall between 4th and 7th Streets. The screenings will remain free and open to the public.

Fervent fans of Screen on the Green expressed strong support and enthusiasm for continuing the event. On Facebook, local blogs and Twitter, the Washington, DC community resoundingly asked for the popular series to continue this year.

"We are so thrilled that Comcast and The Trust for the National Mall made possible this year's return of a beloved Washington, DC tradition that presents some of the greatest timeless films on a big screen under the stars. We're so proud to join with them in celebrating this unique event's 10th Anniversary," said Richard Plepler, Co- President, HBO.

Comcast Executive Vice President David L. Cohen said, "Comcast is honored to partner with HBO and the Trust to bring Screen on the Green back this summer. Comcast is delighted to continue this movie festival on the National Mall by joining as a co-sponsor. There was such an overwhelming outcry from the public to keep Screen on the Green going, we listened, and are excited to help make the event happen this year. We'd like to thank all the fans that let us know how much they wanted this tradition to continue and how important it was to them and the DC community."

"Screen on the Green is a one-of-a-kind event that allows our community and visitors to enjoy the best of this country's films while surrounded by the most awe- inspiring of sights: the Capitol Building, the Washington Monument, and the National Mall," said Trust for the National Mall chairman Chip Akridge. "Together, we must improve and preserve the National Mall so that future generations can continue to enjoy not just Screen on the Green, but the unique beauty, history, and significance of every visit to the National Mall for years to come. This event will allow us to reach out directly to tens of thousands of viewers about their role in protecting 'America's Front Yard.'" Each film will be preceded by the broadcast of a Trust for the National Mall public service announcement.

This year's opening night film will be the 1977 sci fi classic, "Close Encounters of the Third Kind." Steven Spielberg takes us from Mexico to Mongolia, from India to Indiana to show that we earthlings are not alone. Richard Dreyfus portrays Roy Neary, who embarks on an obsessive quest for answers after witnessing a low-flying UFO.

The complete line-up of this year's movies will be announced in the coming weeks.

HBO

Home Box Office, Inc. is the premium television programming subsidiary of Time Warner Inc., providing two 24-hour pay television services - HBO and Cinemax - to over 40 million U.S. subscribers. The services offer the most popular subscription video on demand products, HBO On Demand and Cinemax On Demand, as well as HBO on Broadband, HD feeds, and multiplex channels. Internationally, HBO's branded television networks, along with the subscription video on demand products HBO On Demand and HBO Mobile, bring HBO services to over 50 countries. HBO programming is sold into over 150 countries worldwide.

COMCAST

Comcast Corporation (NASDAQ:CMCSA)(NASDAQ:CMCSK) (www.comcast.com) is the nation's leading provider of entertainment, information and communication products and services. With 24.1 million cable customers, 15.3 million high-speed Internet customers, and 6.8 million Comcast Digital Voice customers, Comcast is principally involved in the development, management and operation of cable systems and in the delivery of programming content.

Comcast's content networks and investments include E! Entertainment Television, Style Network, Golf Channel, VERSUS, G4, PBS KIDS Sprout, TV One, ten sports networks operated by Comcast Sports Group and Comcast Interactive Media, which develops and operates Comcast's Internet businesses, including Comcast.net (www.comcast.net). Comcast also has a majority ownership in Comcast-Spectacor, whose major holdings include the Philadelphia Flyers NHL hockey team, the Philadelphia 76ers NBA basketball team and two large multipurpose arenas in Philadelphia.

TRUST FOR THE NATIONAL MALL

The Trust for the National Mall is the authorized non-profit partner of the National Park Service dedicated to restoring and improving the National Mall, while providing new educational and volunteer opportunities that connect the park's 25 million annual visitors to the Mall's rich history. www.nationalmall.org.

For festival information, call the Screen on the Green hotline at 1-877-262-5866 or, beginning July 1st, visit http://blog.when.com/screenonthegreen.

Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20090610/NY30739
http://photoarchive.ap.org/
AP PhotoExpress Network: PRN11
PRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.com
Source: HBO

CONTACT: Suzanne Pinto of HBO, Suzanne.Pinto@HBO.com, +1-212-512-1904;
or Sena Fitzmaurice of Comcast, sena.fitzmaurice@comcast.com, +1-202-379-7107;
or Anna Gohmann of Trust for the National Mall, agohmann@deweysquare.com,
+1-202-777-0677

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