NEW YORK, NEW YORK (June 14, 2004) – Rainbow Entertainment Services and Miramax Films announced today a major licensing agreement that will include television distribution rights to 86 Miramax films, of which twelve are broadcast premieres including the Academy Award winning THE BARBARIAN INVASIONS as well as Academy Award nominated titles CITY OF GOD, THE QUIET AMERICAN, and DIRTY, PRETTY THINGS. The overall deal provides the Rainbow national cable networks – AMC, The Independent Film Channel, and WE: Women's Entertainment – with the rights to broadcast select Miramax and Dimension titles beginning in 2006. In addition, the agreement provides the networks with the rights to air a portion of the first network window of the award-winning epic, COLD MOUNTAIN, beginning in May 2010.
The announcement was made today by Rainbow Entertainment Services President Kathleen Dore and Miramax chief operating officer Rick Sands.
"Rainbow Entertainment Services and Miramax have built an important partnership that empowers viewers with films they want to see, serves cable systems with valuable content, and provides filmmakers with a strong voice," stated Kathleen Dore, President of Rainbow Entertainment Services (AMC, IFC and WE: Women's Entertainment). "Rainbow Entertainment Services is committed to investing long term in quality programming for each of our three brands and today's agreement provides a unique inventory of high-profile films."
"This deal represents a terrific opportunity for Miramax to highlight our dedication to independent and foreign films, while also providing broader audiences the chance to experience award-winning and nominated titles like Barbarian Invasions, City of God, Dirty, Pretty, Things, and The Station Agent," said Rick Sands. "We are always delighted to work with Rainbow's AMC, IFC and WE: Women's Entertainment. They are highly respected channels with quality programming and continue to be stellar partners."
The deal was negotiated for Miramax by Rick Sands, Chief Operating Officer, and Gary Perchick, Vice President of Domestic Television Sales; and for Rainbow by George Lentz, Vice President for Acquisitions.
Today's announcement comes on the heels of a 2003 agreement between Miramax and Rainbow, which included a total of 84 titles.
With this 2004 agreement, Rainbow Entertainment Services will plan to allocate some of the key 86 titles between AMC, IFC, and WE: Women's Entertainment accordingly:
IFC
– The Broadcast Premieres of THE BARBARIAN INVASIONS, winner of the 2003 Academy Award for Best Foreign Film, THE MAGDALENE SISTERS (2003), THE STATION AGENT (2003), CITY OF GOD (2003), THE QUIET AMERICAN (2002) with Oscar nominee Michael Caine, ARARAT (2003), directed by Adam Egoyan, BLUE CAR (2002), BUFFALO SOLDIERS (2003), starring Joaquin Phoenix, Ed Harris, Scott Glenn and Anna Paquin, DIRTY PRETTY THINGS (2003) directed by Stephen Frears, and written by Oscar nominated Steven Knight, and PEOPLE I KNOW (2003) all premiering in 2006.
– RABBIT-PROOF FENCE with Kenneth Branagh
– JERSEY GIRL (2004) starring Ben Affleck
– The deal also includes re-license for RESERVOIR DOGS, JACKIE BROWN, IN THE BEDROOM, and JAY AND SILENT BOB STRIKE BACK.
AMC
– CHICAGO, Best Picture winner from 2002
– COLD MOUNTAIN, with Jude Law, Renee Zellwegger and Nicole Kidman
– CIDER HOUSE RULES, with Tobey Macguire and Charlize Theron
– GOOD WILL HUNTING, with Matt Damon and Ben Affleck
WE: Women's Entertainment
– THE HUMAN STAIN (2003) starring Nicole Kidman and Anthony Hopkins based on the Phillip Roth bestseller and Billy Bob Thortons' DADDY AND THEM will have it Broadcast Premiere on WE in 2006
– BRIDGET JONES'S DIARY, with Renee Zellwegger
– BOUNCE, with Ben Affleck
– CHOCOLAT, with Juliet Binoche and Johnny Depp
– THE ENGLISH PATIENT, with Ralph Fiennes and Juliet Binoche
– SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE, with Ben Affleck, Gwyneth Paltrow
About Rainbow Entertainment Services
Rainbow Entertainment Services represents three of the national networks of Rainbow Media Holdings LLC. – AMC, IFC (The Independent Film Channel) and WE: Women's Entertainment. Rainbow Media Holdings LLC is a leader in sports, news and entertainment programming and is a subsidiary of Cablevision Systems Corporation (NYSE:CVC). Rainbow Media also owns and manages Fuse, Mag Rack, Uncensored On Demand, World Picks On Demand and World Picks Networks and regional programming services – MetroChannels, News 12 Networks and Rainbow Sports Networks – in addition to the Rainbow Advertising Sales Corporation and Rainbow Network Communications. Rainbow Media is also a 50 percent partner in Fox Sports Net.
About Miramax Films
Miramax Films, founded by Bob and Harvey Weinstein in 1979, has released some of the most critically acclaimed and commercially successful independent feature films, including fourteen Best Picture nominations over a span of the past twelve years: Chicago, Gangs of New York, The Hours, In the Bedroom, Chocolat, The Cider House Rules, Shakespeare In Love, Life Is Beautiful (La Vita È Bella), Good Will Hunting, The English Patient, Il Postino (The Postman) and The Piano as well as twenty-three Best Foreign Language Film nominations over the past sixteen years including The Barbarian Invasions, Twin Sisters, Amelie, Life Is Beautiful, Kolya, Mediterraneo and Cinema Paradiso.