Starz and Columbia Pictures Join Forces To Give Viewers an Early Inside Look at Revolution Studios' 'Rent'

By: Nov. 14, 2005
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Starz Entertainment Group LLC (SEG), Revolution Studios and Columbia Pictures announced today that they will join forces to provide viewers of Starz Cinema a first look at exclusive footage from Revolution Studios' "Rent", the much-anticipated movie adaptation of the smash Broadway musical.

"This partnership with our friends at Starz Entertainment Group is a great way to bring unique content to movie lovers," said Tom Sherak, partner at Revolution Studios, which produced the film. "'Rent' is a major event and we are thrilled to join in the celebration of the film's release with Starz Entertainment," added Geoffrey Ammer, president worldwide marketing for the Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group.

"Starz wants to bring the entire movie experience to our viewers and this partnership with Revolution Studios and Columbia Pictures is a wonderful way to do so," said Stephan Shelanski, senior vice president of program acquisitions for Starz Entertainment Group. "The 'Stage to Screen' special offers viewers a chance to see movie adaptations of several Broadway favorites, plus the opportunity to see footage from 'Rent' that is only available on Starz Cinema."

Starz Cinema will air an exclusive look at the film version of the late Jonathan Larson's Pulitzer and Tony award-winning musical "Rent" during "Stage to Screen" Wednesday, November 23 starting at 6:00 p.m. (ET/PT). The exclusive content includes behind-the-scenes footage and the world television premiere of a musical number from the movie performed by the cast, many of whom created their roles in the original Broadway production. The special evening of programming celebrates Columbia Pictures' November 23 nationwide theatrical release of the movie adaptation of "Rent".

Based on the musical by Jonathan Larson, which was inspired by Puccini's classic opera La Bohemme, the revolutionary rock opera, "Rent" tells the story of a group of bohemians struggling to live and pay their rent against the gritty background of New York's East Village. "Measuring their lives in love," these starving artists strive for success and acceptance while enduring the obstacles of poverty, illness and the AIDS epidemic.

One of the longest running shows on Broadway, "Rent" was the winner of the 1996 Pulitzer Prize for Drama, the Obie Award, the New York Drama Critics Circle Award, four Tony Awards and three Drama Desk awards.

In addition to the exclusive features from "Rent", films adapted from the theater that will be part of "Stage to Screen" include (all times are ET/PT):

* Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead (November 23 at 6:00 p.m.) - The fringe characters from Shakespeare's "Hamlet" take center stage at Elsinore. The film stars Gary Oldman, Tim Roth and Richard Dreyfuss.
 
* Six Degrees of Separation (November 23 at 8:05 p.m.) - Adapted from John Guare's hit Broadway play, an affluent Manhattan couple welcomes a young, black man into their home believing he is a college friend of their children. This is the film debut of Will Smith and includes an Oscar(R)-nominated performance by Stockard Channing.
 
* Vanya on 42nd Street (November 23 at 10:00 p.m.) - This is the story of New York actors rehearsing in a rundown theater, for a play adapted from Anton Chekhov's novel "Uncle Vanya." The film stars Julianne Moore, Wallace Shawn, Andre Gregory and Brooke Smith.

* "On the Set: Rent" (November 24 at 12:05 a.m.) - A behind-the-scenes look at the film version of the Broadway hit Rent, featuring Taye Diggs and Rosario Dawson.
 
* Lost in Yonkers (November 24 at 12:20 a.m.) - Based on the Neil Simon play about a father who must send his two kids to live with their abrasive grandma, simple aunt and shady uncle in Yonkers, New York. The film stars Richard Dreyfuss, Mercedes Ruehl, Irene Worth and Brad Stoll.

Starz Cinema lives outside the mainstream. Films that bring the art-house to your house.

About Starz Entertainment Group
Starz Entertainment Group LLC (SEG) is the largest provider of premium movie services in the United States with approximately 181 million pay units. SEG offerings include the Starz Encore Movie Pack with 13 digital movie channels and more than 750 movies per month, Starz HDTV, Starz On Demand, and Starz Ticket, an on-demand premium Internet movie subscription service available on the broadband platform. Starz Entertainment Group is a wholly- owned subsidiary of Liberty Media Corporation, www.starz.com.

About Columbia Pictures
Columbia Pictures, part of the Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group, is a Sony Pictures Entertainment company. Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE) is a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America (SCA), a subsidiary of Tokyo-based Sony Corporation. SPE's global operations encompass motion picture production and distribution; television production and distribution; digital content creation and distribution; worldwide channel investments; home entertainment acquisition and distribution; operation of studio facilities; development of new entertainment products, services and technologies; and distribution of filmed entertainment in 67 countries. Sony Pictures Entertainment can be found on the World Wide Web at http://www.sonypictures.com/.

About Revolution Studios
Revolution Studios was formed by Joe Roth in May 2000, to independently produce and finance films in partnership with Sony Pictures Entertainment, Starz Entertainment Group and Fox Entertainment Group.
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