Warner, Film Life partner on DVD line under American Black Film Festival label

(July 27, 2006) Warner Home Video and Film Life Inc., a leader in independent Black and urban-inspired cinema, have announced a partnership that will brand and distribute high quality urban films on DVD. The announcement was made today by Jeff Baker, WHV's Senior Vice President and General Manager of Theatrical Catalog, and by Jeff Friday, Film Life's Founder and CEO.  

Per the exclusive arrangement, Warner Home Video will distribute the films under the "American Black Film Festival" label. Spearheading the new initiative for WHV will be Eva Davis, Vice President of Targeted Acquisitions and Marketing, who noted that WHV will leverage its dedicated multicultural marketing and sales expertise to build unique campaigns for the movies distributed under the new label. Davis also said plans call for partnerships with other Time Warner sister companies to co-promote and co-market individual projects.  
 
The ABFF, a property of Film Life, is the leading showcase for the best of contemporary Black cinema. This year, the Festival celebrated its 10th anniversary and was held from July 19-23 in South Beach, Miami, Florida.  
 
Said Davis, "We're very proud to be partnering with the American Black Film Festival. These movies will allow African American filmmakers to display their skills, talent and vision as well as to enjoy the potential of being extremely successful in the DVD marketplace by providing retailers with a slate of appealing and relevant films that meet the needs of their diverse consumer base."  
 
"We're thrilled to partner with Warner Home Video on this exciting new venture," said Friday. "Film Life's mission has always been to make and market movies that go beyond the stereotypical portrayals of the Black experience -- films that enlighten and inspire but also entertain. Jeff, Eva and Warner Home Video share our vision, and we're delighted that they want to develop this DVD label."  

ABFF, which typically attracts more than 2,500 attendees, celebrated its 10th anniversary this year. The 2006 ABFF program, in addition to the film screenings and awards presentation, includes network and studio premieres, panels, workshops and seminars led by high-level filmmakers, actors, journalists and industry professionals.  
 
Major corporate partners supporting the Festival include HBO, the founding and title sponsor; Wal-Mart Voices of Color as presenting sponsor; AXE Bodyspray, Boost Mobile, Kodak, Lincoln and Time Warner as platinum level sponsors. Among the many past attendees are Halle Berry, Denzel Washington, Morgan Freeman, Samuel L. Jackson, Spike Lee, Richard Parsons, John Singleton, and many others.  
 
Film Life, Inc., is a New York-based marketing, media and production company that is capitalizing on the growing global demand for Black and urban-inspired cinema. Its mission is to become the largest distributor of Black and other urban films in the home entertainment and related digital media markets, while continuing to expand its existing strong base business of producing film-related events and television programming.  
 
Founded in 2002 by Jeff Friday, whose vision of Film Life is to be the leading American brand offering Black movies and related entertainment content, the company is comprised of four divisions that collectively contribute to an integrated corporate vision: Film Life Events, Film Life Pictures, Film Life Television and Film Life Interactive.  


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