HBO Acquires Rights to PROJECT NIM

HBO has acquired all U.S. rights, including theatrical, video and broadcast, to PROJECT NIM, the opening night film of the 2011 Sundance Film Festival in the World Cinema Documentary Competition, it was announced today by Sheila Nevins, president, HBO Documentary Films.

From producer Simon Chinn and director James Marsh, the Oscar(R)-winning team behind "Man on Wire," comes the extraordinary story of Nim, the chimpanzee who in the 1970s became the focus of a landmark experiment that aimed to show an ape could learn to communicate with language if raised and nurtured like a human child.

The deal was brokered by Josh Braun of Submarine Entertainment and HBO Documentary Films. HBO will be actively seeking U.S. theatrical and DVD distribution at Sundance, and will be working with Submarine and Icon Entertainment International (IEI) on these negotiations.

HBO Documentary Films, BBC Films and the UK Film Council present a Red Box Films Production in association with Passion Pictures.