Documentary Special To Include Live "Vote For Change" Concert Footage
09/24/04

SUNDANCE CHANNEL ACQUIRES RIGHTS TO NATIONAL ANTHEM TELEVISION SPECIAL FROM LEGENDARY DOCUMENTARIANS ALBERT MAYSLES AND D A PENNEBAKER

Documentary Special To Include Live "Vote For Change" Concert Footage Produced And Directed By Joel Gallen

National Anthem Airs On Sundance Channel Monday, October 11, 2004
From 6:30pm To 11:30pm ET/PT

New York, September 24, 2004 -- Sundance Channel announced today that the network has licensed the rights to broadcast a television special by acclaimed filmmakers Albert Maysles and D A Pennebaker. This project represents the first collaboration between the two legendary filmmakers in forty years. The television special, titled National Anthem: Inside the "Vote for Change" Concert Tour, is a documentary film consisting of behind-the-scenes footage from the tour and live performances from the final "Vote for Change" concert in Washington D.C. on October 11. National Anthem will air on Monday, October 11, 2004 from 6:30pm to 11:30pm ET/PT.

"From the Kennedys to Dylan, the Beatles, and Stones, Al Maysles and D A Pennebaker are the pre-eminent observers of politics and music in our time," commented Robert Redford, Sundance Channel founder, "Sundance is pleased to present these legendary filmmakers' view of the collision between pop culture and politics at this fascinating moment in U.S. history."

"Sundance Channel has a long history of programming music-related films and original series," said Larry Aidem, President and C.E.O., Sundance Channel. "National Anthem is a perfect fit with Sundance Channel's ongoing commitment to 'music-meets-film' programming." Sundance Channel's music-related programs include "Sonic Cinema," an original series which showcases short works that illustrate the inter-relationship between music and film; "Keeping Time: New Music From America's Roots," a limited documentary series which explores the contemporary face of traditional American music; and "Amped: Movies for Your Ears," a series of eight music-related films including the U.S. television premiere of Ondi Timoner's award-winning documentary DIG!, on November 6th at 9:00pm ET/PT. Sundance Channel has also aired a number of films by Albert Maysles including Grey Gardens (1975) and Gimme Shelter (1970) and, from D A Pennebaker, Don't Look Back (1967) and The War Room (1993).

"This documentary presents a unique opportunity to extend the music from this amazing finale show beyond the walls of the arena to a broader audience, and provide viewers with an insider's look at what the "Vote for Change" tour is all about," said Jon Landau of Jon Landau Management.

Among the artists to be featured in National Anthem are Bonnie Raitt, Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, Dave Matthews Band, the Dixie Chicks, Jackson Browne, James Taylor, John Fogerty, John Mellencamp, Jurassic 5, Keb' Mo', Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds, Pearl Jam, and R.E.M.

Conceived by a loose coalition of musicians six months ago, "Vote for Change" is a multi-city, multi-artist tour that will take place between October 1st and October 11th. In all, the tour will include 37 shows in 33 cities in 12 states over 11 days. The "Vote for Change" headlining artists will come together and share the stage only once during the tour, for a special grand finale concert in Washington, D.C. on October 11th.

National Anthem is a Maysles Films, Inc. and Pennebaker Hegedus Films, Inc. documentary film production. The documentary is directed by Albert Maysles and D A Pennebaker, with live concert footage produced by Joel Gallen. The Segment Directors are Nick Doob, Antonio Ferrera and Chris Hegedus; the Producers are Bill Curren, Frazer Pennebaker and Maureen A. Ryan, and the Associate Producers are Rebecca Losick and Rebecca Marshall.

ABOUT ALBERT MAYSLES Albert Maysles is a pioneer of 'direct cinema,' who with his brother David, was the first to make nonfiction feature films (Gimme Shelter, Salesman, Grey Gardens) in which the drama of life unfolds as is without scripts, sets, interviews or narration. His first film, Psychiatry in Russia (1955), he made while in transition from being a psychologist to documentary filmmaker. In 1960 he served as co-filmmaker with D A Pennebaker on the films Primary and Crisis. His 36 films include What's Happening? The Beatles in the USA (1964), five films of the projects of Christo and Jeanne-Claude (1972 to 1995), Meet Marlon Brando (1965) and three documentaries for HBO. He received a Guggenheim Fellowship (1965), a Peabody, an Emmy, five Lifetime Achievement Awards, the award for best cinematography at Sundance (2002) for Lalee's Kin which was also nominated in 2001 for an Academy Award® and lastly, the Columbia Dupont Award (2004). In 1999 Eastman Kodak saluted him as one of the 100 world's finest cinematographers. Maysles is currently in production on his film for Christo and Jeanne Claude's latest project titled The Gates: Project for New York.

ABOUT D A PENNEBAKER AND PENNEBAKER HEGEDUS FILMS D A (Donn Alan) Pennebaker has become widely regarded as one of the pioneers of cinema verite filmmaking. In 1959, he joined with other filmmakers to produce the highly acclaimed and revolutionary "Living Camera" series of documentaries and developed one of the first fully portable 16mm synchronized camera and sound recording systems, making possible the revolutionary cinema verite movement. In the 60s, Pennebaker's portrait of Bob Dylan, Don't Look Back (1967), and Monterey Pop (1967; Albert Maysles as camera man), featuring Janis Joplin and Jimi Hendrix, were two of the earliest films using real-life drama to have a successful theatrical distribution. Since 1977, Pennebaker has partnered with Chris Hegedus on a host of acclaimed films including The Energy War, Town Bloody Hall, Delorean, Moon Over Broadway, and Startup.com. The team received the D.W. Griffith Award for Best Documentary of the Year and an Academy Award® nomination for their 1994 Clinton campaign film The War Room featuring James Carville and George Stephanopoulos. Most recently, they co-directed with Nick Doob Elaine Stritch at Liberty which won two Primetime Emmy® Awards. Music-related films on which they have collaborated include The Music Tells You (with Branford Marsalis), Open Hand (with Suzanne Vega), Depeche Mode 101, Keine Zeit, Searching for Jimi Hendrix, Down from the Mountain, and Only the Strong Survive. They are currently in production on a feature length film about the pugnacious political satirist Al Franken.

ABOUT JOEL GALLEN Joel Gallen has produced and directed scores of televised concerts, award shows, and other special events for over 15 years. Gallen produced and directed the Emmy Award®-winning "America: A Tribute to Heroes," the televised concert/telethon that aired on every major network and cable channel in America and abroad just after September 11th. He also produces and directs the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony each year as well as the concert that inaugurated the opening of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland. Gallen has worked as producer and director for many of MTV and VH1's events, including the MTV Movie Awards (1995-2004), the VH1 Fashion Awards (1996-98), the MTV Video Music Awards (1989-93), and MTV's "Unplugged" series (1990-92). Additional credits include the Emmy®-nominated HBO specials "Chris Rock: Never Scared" (2004) and "Ellen DeGeneres: Here and Now" (2003).

ABOUT SUNDANCE CHANNEL Under the creative direction of Robert Redford, Sundance Channel brings television viewers daring and engaging feature films, shorts, documentaries, world cinema and animation, shown uncut and with no commercials. Launched in 1996, Sundance Channel is a venture between NBC Universal, Robert Redford, and Showtime Networks Inc. Sundance Channel operates independently of the non-profit Sundance Institute and the Sundance Film Festival, but shares the overall Sundance mission of supporting independent artists and providing them with wider opportunities to present their work to audiences. Sundance Channel's website address is www.sundancechannel.com.