The 'Always, Uncut' Network Launches Daily Web Show Focused on Indie Culture
IFC is Official "Super Sponsor" of 10-Day Event for Third Consecutive Year
IFC Original Documentaries AT THE DEATH HOUSE DOOR and HEAVY LOAD
Make World Premiere at Festival
New York, NY – February 12, 2008 – IFC, the first and largest network dedicated to independent culture, announced today its extensive presence at and coverage of the 2008 South by Southwest (SXSW) Film and Music Festival taking place in Austin, Texas from March 7-16. The network will launch a multiplatform initiative around the 10-day festival, including in-depth and exclusive coverage of the event both on-air and online as well as numerous on-site activities.
Headlining IFC's presence will be the official launch of the network's first-ever daily web series, LUNCHBOX. The series will launch on IFC.com on Monday, March 10. As the voice of independent culture and thought, IFC will leverage the new online program to provide its viewers with daily access to the latest news, ideas and events in film, music, politics and more. In addition, IFC will be an official SXSW "Super Sponsor" for the third consecutive year; host an exclusive "IFC Crossroads" party, featuring live musical performances from Yo La Tengo and My Morning Jacket; debut two of its original documentaries; and participate on two premier SXSW panels.
IFC recently announced its original documentary, AT THE DEATH HOUSE DOOR, directed by Steve James (Hoop Dreams) and Peter Gilbert, will make its world premiere at the festival on Sunday, March 9. In addition, the network will debut its non-fiction film HEAVY LOAD, which documents a punk band of musicians with and without learning disabilities, on Monday, March 10. This marks the third consecutive year that IFC will debut a film at SXSW. In 2006, the network premiered the original non-fiction film, RANK, followed in 2007 by the original documentary Does Your Soul Have a Cold?, directed by Mike Mills.
"IFC's presence at this year's SXSW Festival perfectly represents our mission to be the voice of independent culture – it's a multiplatform mix of film, music, web and culture," stated Evan Shapiro, IFC's General Manager. "SXSW is the ideal venue to launch LUNCHBOX, our new web series dedicated to the best of indie culture online. It's also a true honor to be at SXSW, presenting the world premieres of both of our new films, Heavy Load – a funny and powerful film about a new band of Punk Rock stars – and At the Death House Door, an important film meant to start a national conversation about America's death penalty policies. Where else but Austin and SXSW would web, punk and politics blend so well?"
AT IFC.COM:
IFC will officially launch its first-ever daily web series, LUNCHBOX, on Monday, March 10. A short-form hosted daily show, LUNCHBOX will coincide with the re-launch of IFC.com and air every weekday at 12pm ET/PT, spotlighting new IFC.com content, as well as unearthing buzz-worthy websites, events and hot trends happening in the worlds of music, film and politics.
Highlighting the scope and breadth of IFC.com as an online independent cultural experience, the irreverent, funny and edgy series, will be structured around a new topic each day, including: What's on IFC (Mondays); Music (Tuesdays); Politics (Wednesdays); Film (Thursdays); and IFC's Media Lab filmmaker community (Fridays), always with a relevant tie back to IFC and IFC.com.
Also at IFC.com, visitors will be able to receive daily updates on SXSW through video podcasts, film reviews, interviews with celebrities, and a blog from IFC executives and correspondents that will be updated each day with the latest news from the festival.
ON-AIR COVERAGE:
IFC's comprehensive coverage of SXSW will include programming specials and extensive daily news updates. Viewers can tune-in for an opening night pre-show on Friday, March 7 at 8:00 PM (ET/PT) that will detail the history and evolution of SXSW, and kick-off the network's on-air coverage. Throughout the festival, IFC will air special reports each night at 8:15 PM (ET/PT) hosted by IFC News' Matt Singer and offering the latest news and events from the festival. Reporting directly from Austin, TX, Singer will also host a wrap-up special that will air on Monday, March 24 at 8:00 PM (ET/PT) and feature highlights of this year's festival.
ON-SITE ACTIVITIES:
Sponsorship
As a "Super Sponsor," IFC will receive ads in the SXSW festival guides, inclusion in radio spots, television ads, and presence on the SXSW website, as well as on-site logo placement.
Film Premieres
IFC's original documentary feature AT THE DEATH HOUSE DOOR will make its world premiere at SXSW on Sunday, March 9. Directed by Steve James (Hoop Dreams) and Peter Gilbert, the non-fiction film provides a gripping and intimate look at the death penalty in Texas through the eyes of a Death House Chaplain, Pastor Carroll Pickett. AT THE DEATH HOUSE DOOR is one in a series of the network's entertaining and edgy documentary projects premiering in 2008, and will make its television debut on IFC in May.
The network's original doc HEAVY LOAD will debut at SXSW on Monday, March 10. A comedy of conflicting ambitions, HEAVY LOAD captures the excitement, sweat and romance of playing in a band through the eyes of a unique set of characters. Heavy Load is a punk band made up of musicians with and without learning disabilities, doing what they do not for fame or celebrity, but for the joy of making noise. The band survives through a combination of raucous energy, attitude and sheer volume. HEAVY LOAD is directed and produced by Jerry Rothwell, and produced by Al Morrow and Jonny Persey of APT Films. It will premiere on IFC in 2008.
Panels
IFC will be featured on the following panels at SXSW:
Evan Shapiro, EVP and General Manager of IFC, will participate in the panel "Fact or Fiction: Blurring the Lines Between Docs and Narrative" on Saturday, March 8.
Steve James, director of At the Death House Door, and Reverend Pickett, whose story is featured in the IFC original doc, will participate in the panel "Doc Makers and Their Subjects" on Monday, March 10.
Events
On Tuesday, March 11 – the day that SXSW will transition from film to music – IFC will host an "IFC Crossroads" Party at The Parish, one of Austin's premier music venues, beginning at 10pm. Headlining the exclusive event will be live musical performances by indie bands Yo La Tengo and My Morning Jacket.
About IFC
IFC is the only brand to operate in every area of independent film to include television, production, financing, distribution, digital, On Demand and exhibition. IFC uses its unique cross-platform position to broaden the audience of independent film and to provide independent filmmakers with a strong voice. IFC is comprised of: The Independent Film Channel, the first and most widely distributed network dedicated to independent culture, 24 hours a day, uncut, and uncensored; and IFC Entertainment, a division that owns and manages IFC Films, a leading theatrical film distribution company bringing the best of independent films to theaters and to the on-demand platform, day and date, reaching over 45 million subscribers. The company's brick and mortar home, The IFC Center, features state-of-the-art cinemas with luxurious seating and high-definition digital and 35mm projection, located in the heart of New York City's West Village.
About Rainbow Media Holdings LLC
Rainbow Media Holdings LLC is a subsidiary of Cablevision Systems Corporation (NYSE: CVC). Rainbow Media is a leading producer of targeted, multi-platform content for global distribution, creating and managing some of the world's most compelling and dynamic entertainment brands, including AMC, IFC, WE tv, LIFESKOOL, SPORTSKOOL, and VOOM HD Networks. Through its IFC Entertainment division, Rainbow Media also owns and manages the following: IFC Films, a theatrical feature film distribution company; IFC First Take/IFC in Theaters, a day and date theatrical feature film/VOD initiative; the IFC Center in New York City; IFC Productions, a feature film production company; and IFC Entertainment, which owns and operates a film library. Rainbow Media also operates Rainbow Advertising Sales Corporation, its advertising sales company, and Rainbow Network Communications, its full service network programming origination and distribution company.