Picture Also Wins Best Original Screenplay (Paul Haggis & Bobby Moresco) and
Best Film Editing (Hughes Winborne) Oscars
Spectacular Upset Victory Marks First Best Picture Academy Award(R) for
Leading Independent Filmed Entertainment Studio With 25 Oscar(R) Nominations
in Past Seven Years
SANTA MONICA, Calif., and VANCOUVER, British Columbia, March 6
/PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Building momentum from the day of its May 2005
theatrical release, Lionsgate's (NYSE: LGF; Toronto) challenging and
thought-provoking contemporary drama CRASH won the Academy Award(R) for Best
Motion Picture last night, capping one of the most remarkable underdog
triumphs in Oscar(R) history. The film also won a Best Original Screenplay
Oscar(R) for director/cowriter/coproducer Paul Haggis and Bobby Moresco and an
Academy Award(R) for Achievement In Film Editing for Hughes Winborne.
Lionsgate, the leading independent filmed entertainment studio, has earned
25 Academy Award(R) nominations (and four victories) over the past seven
years, more than any other independent studio, but CRASH marked the Company's
first Academy Award(R) for Best Motion Picture.
CRASH had also earned Academy Award(R) nominations for Best Director (Paul
Haggis), Best Performance By An Actor In A Supporting Role (Matt Dillon) and
Best Original Song ("In The Deep," music by Kathleen "Bird" York and Michael
Becker, lyric by York).
The Oscar(R) victory capped off an awards season of building momentum in
which CRASH earned a Screens Actors Guild award for Best Ensemble Cast In A
Motion Picture, a Producers Guild nomination for Best Picture, a Directors
Guild nomination for filmmaker Paul Haggis, a Writers Guild nomination for
Best Original Screenplay (Paul Haggis and Bobby Moresco), nine BAFTA
nominations (including Best Film and Best Director) and six NAACP Image Award
nominations (including Best Film).
Lionsgate launched an unprecedented marketing initiative by sending out
130,000 DVD screeners to opinion leaders throughout the creative community for
the hit film, which has generated $54 million at the North American box office
and already sold approximately 4 million units on DVD. A CRASH "Special
Edition" DVD will be released on April 4, and a Lionsgate CRASH television
series reprising the roles of the major cast members is currently in
development for FX Network.
"It is very gratifying to be singled out among this group of extraordinary
and important films," said Lionsgate Chief Executive Officer Jon Feltheimer.
"It was a privilege for Lionsgate to be able to help realize the vision of
Paul Haggis and all of his collaborators in bringing his work to a worldwide
audience. I congratulate the entire Lionsgate team that made the success of
CRASH possible, and I would particularly like to single out our unsung heroes,
Peter Block and Jason Constantine, the acquisitions executives who had the
foresight to see the magic of the film so early and bring it into the
Lionsgate family. CRASH epitomizes the provocative and distinctive
entertainment that defines the Lionsgate brand."
"CRASH is a story I have wanted to tell for 10 years, and we are thrilled
that the members of the Motion Picture Academy have recognized its excellence
with their highest honor," said Haggis. "Beginning with a bold decision at
the Toronto Film Festival and culminating in a remarkable marketing campaign
that brought the film to this incredible upset victory despite its release
early in the year, the acquisition, marketing, publicity and distribution
teams of Lionsgate have been the perfect partners in bringing this story to a
North American audience. We are privileged to have worked with one of the
most gifted ensemble casts of actors ever to appear in a motion picture, and
Cathy Schulman and I are honored to carry the torch for the entire producing
team, including Bobby Moresco, Don Cheadle, Bob Yari and Mark Harris."
Challenging and thought-provoking, CRASH takes a provocative, unflinching
look at the complexities of racial tolerance in contemporary America. The
film features an all-star cast of Sandra Bullock, Don Cheadle, Matt Dillon,
Brendan Fraser, Terrence Howard, Chris "Ludacris" Bridges, Thandie Newton and
Ryan Philippe. It is directed by Paul Haggis, cowritten by Haggis and Bobby
Moresco and produced by Haggis, Cathy Schulman, Bobby Moresco, Don Cheadle,
Bob Yari and Mark R. Harris.
The Oscar(R) win capped a strong week for Lionsgate, whose latest release,
MADEA'S FAMILY REUNION, was number one at the domestic box office for the
second straight week with a domestic box office gross of approximately
$48 million to date. Lionsgate also has the number one DVD in North America
(SAW II).
Lionsgate is the premier independent producer and distributor of motion
pictures, television programming, home entertainment, family entertainment and
video-on-demand content. Its prestigious and prolific library is a valuable
source of stable, recurring revenue and is a foundation for the growth of the
Company's core businesses. The Lionsgate brand name is synonymous with
original, daring, quality entertainment in markets around the globe.
http://www.lionsgate.com
For further information, contact:
Sarah Greenberg
(310) 255-3856
sgreenberg@lionsgate.com
For corporate inquiries, contact:
Peter D. Wilkes
(310) 255-3726
pwilkes@lionsgate.com
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