Cinedigm & Slamdance Partner to Bring New Films to Digital Platforms

Cinedigm (CIDM) announced today a partnership with Slamdance that will bring a slate of feature programming to digital platforms beginning on June 11th.

Slamdance is a year-round organization by filmmakers for filmmakers that was founded in 1995 in Park City, Utah. Entering its 20th year, the Slamdance Film Festival has served as the launching pad for many respected filmmakers' careers, including Christopher Nolan, Marc Forster, Behn Zeitlin, Lynn Shelton, and Jared Hess.

"The partnership between Cinedigm and Slamdance is a natural," said Erick Opeka, Senior Vice President, Digital, Cinedigm. "Cinedigm is the worldwide leader in digital independent content distribution and Slamdance has always been very innovative and forward-looking on the digital front. We expect to have great success in launching their films on a variety of established and emerging digital platforms."

The first two films releasing on June 11th are STRANGER THINGS and HYBRID, while THE FIRST SEASON will launch in September.

STRANGER THINGS
Set in a remote village on the south coast of England, STRANGER THINGS tells the story of Oona, a young woman who develops an unusual and touching bond with a streetwise homeless man after returning to her childhood home. A New York Times Critics' Pick, the film was the winner of the Grand Jury Prize at the 2011 Slamdance Film Festival and the Raindance Film Festival. The film, described by Filmmaker Magazine as "a delicately beautiful debut feature," stars Adeel Akhtar (FOUR LIONS, THE DICTATOR) and is Eleanor Burke and Ron Eyal's directorial debut.

HYBRID
Winner of the Truer Than Fiction Award at the 2002 Independent Spirit Awards, HYBRID explores the life of Milford Beeghly, an Iowa farmer who led the charge for hybrid corn during the 1930s. The award-winning documentary is directed by Beeghly's grandson, Monteith McCollum, and combines interviews, archival footage, original animation and a rare dry wit to create a meditative portrait of the decidedly odd Beeghly. HYBRID is the winner of numerous awards, including the Honorable Mention Award at the 2001 International Documentary Association, the Grand Jury Prize in the documentary category at the 2001 Slamdance Film Festival and the Award for Original Vision at the 2001 Newport International Film Festival.

THE FIRST SEASON
In an intimate, verite style, THE FIRST SEASON tells the story of Paul and Phyllis van Amburgh who spend their life savings on a dream: starting a small, family farm. With three children, a fourth on the way and their savings depleted, the van Amburghs are forced to confront the risks and challenges of living their dream. THE FIRST SEASON premiered at the 2012 Slamdance film Festival and is Rudd Simmons's (PRODUCER, BOARDWALK EMPIRE) directorial debut.

Over the past decade, Cinedigm has led the digital distribution revolution that continues to transform the media landscape. In addition to its pioneering role in transitioning movie theatres from traditional film prints to digital distribution, Cinedigm continues to advance worldwide cinema modernization with its suite of software products allowing exhibitors and distributors to manage their newly digital businesses with efficiency, insight and certainty. And, as the leading distributor of independent content in the world, Cinedigm collaborates with producers and the exhibition community with unequalled transparency to market, source, curate and distribute quality content across all digital platforms to targeted and profitable audiences. The company's library of over 5,000 titles includes award-winning documentaries from Docurama Films, next-gen indies from Flatiron Film Company and acclaimed independent films and festival picks through partnerships with the Sundance Institute and Tribeca Film. Cinedigm is proud to distribute many Oscar-nominated films including THE INVISIBLE WAR, HELL AND BACK AGAIN, GASLAND, WASTE LAND and PARADISE LOST 3: PURGATORY.

As a year-round organization, Slamdance serves as a showcase for the discovery of the new and emerging talent and is dedicated to the nurturing and development of new independent artists and their cinematic vision. Slamdance continues to live by its mantra: "By Filmmakers, For Filmmakers." No other festival is fully programmed by filmmakers.

Slamdance is proud to count among its alumni many notable writers and directors who first gained notice at the festival, including such cinematic luminaries as Christopher Nolan, Oren Peli, Marc Forester, Jared Hess, Lena Dunham, Behn Zeitlin, Anthony and Joe Russo, Seth Gordon, and Lynn Shelton. New filmmakers and writers today realize that Slamdance is a place to launch their careers.

The 2014 Film Festival will run from January 17-23 in Park City, Utah alongside Sundance and will mark Slamdance's 20th Year. You can be sure it will continue to burn with the desire to discover and support emerging artists from all different walks of life, all over the world.

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