GE AND CINELAN PARTNER TO CREATE FILM SERIES ON INNOVATION
UNPRECEDENTED FILM PROGRAM TO CREATE AND DISTRIBUTE 3-MINUTE DOCUMENTARY FILMS AT GLOBAL PARTNER FILM FESTIVALS AND ACROSS MULTI-PLATFORM VIDEO OUTLETS
Oscar- and Award-Winning Filmmakers to Participate Including
Morgan Spurlock, Alex Gibney, and Barbara Kopple
New York (August 29, 2011)-- GE and CINELAN, the leading publisher of three-minute non-fiction films, are partnering to create a new series of short nonfiction films focused on the incredible human power of ideas and invention. Led by Morgan Spurlock and Karol Martesko-Fenster, CINELAN will be working with Oscar- and award-winning documentary filmmakers, including Joe Berlinger, Lixin Fan, Liz Garbus, Alex Gibney, Steve James, Barbara Kopple, Ross Kauffman, and Jessica Yu, to produce 30 three-minute films that will be featured at prestigious film festivals globally, followed by day-and-date distribution online to millions of viewers. These films will be telling the stories of visionaries such as scientists, engineers, economists, mathematicians, physicists, financiers, and in some cases everyday folks who have facilitated human progress or reshaped our world by their efforts and inventions.
In addition, CINELAN is coordinating with the Sundance Film Festival, Toronto International Film Festival, and the Tribeca Film Festival to provide integrated support for the project which is designed to inspire a global audience to think about the impact of innovation and invention. The films will premiere as collections curated by the programming teams at other major festivals in Asia, Australia, Europe, Africa, South America, and the Middle East beginning in 2012. The full roster of filmmakers, festival partners and supporters, and exclusive distribution outlets will be announced this fall.
“We want filmmakers to embrace this concept and deliver an authentic documentary film in their own voice,” said CINELAN co-founder Morgan Spurlock. “Since these films will highlight exceptional people and world-changing ideas that have impacted the course of human development—stories with a broad international reach—it made sense for us to partner with GE, a company whose own mission is in alignment with our goals for this project.”
“We’re excited to partner with CINELAN and Morgan Spurlock to celebrate the spirit of invention.” said Judy Hu, Global Executive Director, Advertising and Branding of GE. “Through the authentic lens of documentary filmmakers, we will highlight global visionaries who have made an impact, and hope to inspire people to continue to work to change the world for the better.”
“Telling an end-to-end story in a three-minute film is much harder than it might seem, but Morgan and his team at CINELAN have demonstrated just how effective the format can be,” said filmmaker Joe Berlinger. “I jumped at the opportunity to contribute to the series, not simply because of the formal challenge, but because I am attracted to the idea of bringing attention to people whose efforts to change how we live might go otherwise unnoticed.”
“We look forward to highlighting and supporting this exciting project, which has enlisted the resources and unique visions of many filmmakers whose previous work has screened at our Festival,” said Sundance Film Festival Director John Cooper. “Over the last few years, we’ve launched several initiatives of our own that reach audiences across the country, and the online release and distribution component of this concept is in line with that. We’re confident that audiences will be as excited as we are to be part of this.”
GE and CINELAN will sponsor four Filmmaker Lounge cocktail receptions at the 2011 Toronto International Film Festival, September 9-12. The Project will have a presence at the Doc Days Conference as well, with select filmmakers and partners joining CINELAN for a meet-and-greet breakfast with the press on Monday, September 12.
“This is a groundbreaking showcase for documentary film with a truly global reach, and it comes at a time when there’s a strong resurgence of interest in short nonfiction film,” said Thom Powers, International Documentary Programmer for the Toronto Film Festival. “I think CINELAN is showing true leadership in how they’ve put it all together.”
“We’re excited to be working closely with so many festivals and programming executives around the world to help seed the project and bring visibility to our filmmakers’ creative efforts,” said CINELAN’s Karol Martesko-Fenster. “And it isn’t just the filmmakers who’ll be hitting the road with us, but all of our platform partners as well.”
“We are thrilled to partner with GE and CINELAN on this unique series,” said Nancy Schafer, Executive Director of the Tribeca Film Festival. “The festival is committed to showcasing the work of emerging and established directors as well as provide new platforms for how films can be experienced, so this program covered all the bases for us and we are proud to be a part of it.”
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About GE
GE (NYSE: GE) is a diversified infrastructure and finance company taking on the world’s toughest challenges. From aviation and power generation to financial services, healthcare solutions, oil and gas and rail, GE operates in more than 100 countries and employs about 300,000 people worldwide. For more information, visit the company’s website at www.ge.com.
About CINELAN
CINELAN is a filmmaker-driven video publisher dedicated to delivering new audiences and opportunities to documentary filmmakers through the worldwide syndication of professionally produced, three-minute films. CINELAN’s contributors and advisory board filmmakers include co-founder Morgan Spurlock and award-winning directors Steve James, Ross Kauffman, Jessica Yu, Floyd Webb, Jerry Rothwell, and Marilyn Agrelo. For more information visit www.cinelan.com.
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