VARIETY Hosts First Annual “DIRECTORS IN THE ROUND” at Sundance Film Festival

A Discussion with the VARIETY “10 DIRECTORS TO WATCH” Sunday, January 18th at The Shop

The highly acclaimed VARIETY “10 Directors to Watch” is sporting a new shape this year with the first annual “Directors in the Round” discussion. Moderated by director Mark Waters (The House of Yes, Mean Girls, The Spiderwick Chronicles) the session highlights the craft of filmmaking and explores the myriad issues facing directors today.

The 2009 “10 Directors to Watch” include: Emily Abt – Toe to Toe; Antonio Campos – Afterschool; Cherien Dabis – Amreeka; Adam Elliot – Mary & Max; Shana Feste – The Greatest; Cary Fukunaga – Sin Nombre; Matteo Garrone – Gomorrah; Steve McQueen – Hunger; Bohdan Slama – Country Teacher; Marc Webb – 500 Days of Summer.

“It is always a thrill to discover and promote new filmmaking talent,” says Neil Stiles, President and Publisher, Variety. “These directors all have films that capture fresh, new and exciting visions. We are honored to present them at Sundance.”

“Directors in the Round” will take place on Sunday, January 18th at ‘The Shop’ (1167 Woodside Avenue, Park City) from 3:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m., directly followed by a reception from 5:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.

“Directors in the Round” is presented by Dell, sponsored by Ascent Media Group, The Illinois Film Office, The London Hotels, Stella Artois and Starz, and produced in association with Chipotle and Keen, Inc.

About Variety

Variety is the leading publication for entertainment news, recognized and respected throughout the world of show business. The Variety Group–Daily Variety, Daily Variety Gotham, Weekly Variety and Variety.com–are all owned by Reed Business Information (RBI), the largest business publisher in the U.S. RBI is a member of the Reed Elsevier Group plc (NYSE: RUK and ENL).

About Dell

People worldwide can buy Dell online http://www.dell.com/, by phone and in nearly 20,000 stores.

About Ascent Media Group:

Santa Monica, California-based Ascent Media Group, LLC is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Ascent Media Corporation (Nasdaq: ASCMA), which provides creative and technical services to the media and entertainment industries. Through more than 40 facilities in regions of Southern California, New York, Atlanta, London and Singapore, Ascent Media provides effective solutions for the creation, management and distribution of content to major motion picture studios, independent producers, broadcast networks, cable channels, advertising agencies and other companies that produce, own and/or distribute entertainment, news, sports, corporate, educational, industrial and advertising content.

About Chipotle

Steve Ells, Founder, Chairman and CEO, started Chipotle with the idea that food served fast did not have to be a typical fast food experience. Today, Chipotle continues to offer a focused menu of burritos, tacos, burrito bowls (a burrito without the tortilla) and salads made from fresh, high-quality raw ingredients, prepared using classic cooking methods and served in a distinctive atmosphere. Through the vision of Food with Integrity, Chipotle is seeking better food not only from using fresh ingredients, but sustainable ingredients that are grown and naturally raised with respect for the animals, the land, and the farmers who produce the food. Chipotle opened its first restaurant in 1993 and currently operates more than 800 restaurants. For more information, visit Chipotle.com.

About KEEN

KEEN Inc., manufacturer of hybrid footwear, socks and bags, is an outdoor brand that delivers innovative hybrid products, enabling all outdoor enthusiasts to live an active lifestyle. Founded in 2003, KEEN was first recognized for its Newport sandal, which featured patented toe protection technology.

Keen strives to demonstrate integrity and leadership, especially on social and environmental commitments, while promoting an inclusive outdoors community. Through its giving program Hybrid.Care, the company provides support to a variety of social and environmental organizations around the globe.

Based in Portland, Oregon, KEEN products are available in retail locations in the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Asia, Central America, South America and Europe. To learn more, visit www.keenfootwear.com.

About The Illinois Film Office:

The Illinois Film Office is dedicated to promoting Illinois as a world-class film destination. The IFO provides producers with an array of services including a 30% Film Tax Credit, location scouting, a comprehensive production guide and information hotlines. For more information please visit our website at www.illinoisfilm.biz.

About London

Smart, sophisticated and with an incomparable energy, The London Hotels unite style with substance to embody the essence of their cosmopolitan locations. The London NYC is a 562-room hotel situated at 151 West 54th Street between Sixth and Seventh Avenues in New York City. Sister property, The London West Hollywood, is a 200-room hotel perched in the Hollywood Hills just steps from Los Angeles’ legendary Sunset Strip. For more information on The London NYC call (866) 656-1777 or visit www.TheLondonNYC.com, for The London West Hollywood call (866) 282-4560 or visit www.TheLondonWestHollywood.com.

About Starz Entertainment

Starz Entertainment, LLC, is a premium movie service provider operating in the United States. It offers 16 movie channels including the flagship Starz and Encore brands with approximately 17.4 million and 31.6 million subscribers respectively. Starz Entertainment airs more than 1,000 movies per month across its pay TV channels and offers advances services including Starz HD, Encore HD, Starz On Demand, Encore On Demand, MoviePlex On Demand, Starz HD On Demand, Encore HD, On Demand, MoviePlex HD On Demand and Starz Play. Starz Entertainment (www.starz.com) is an operating unit of Starz, LLC, which is a controlled subsidiary of Liberty Media Corporation, and is attributed to Liberty Entertainment Group, a tracking stock group of Liberty Media Corporation.

About Stella Artois

Stella Artois traces its origin back to 1366 to a brewery called Den Hoorn, located in Leuven, a town just outside of Brussels. In 1717, master brewer Sebastian Artois purchased the brewery and renamed it to his namesake. The Artois Brewery created a special brew to celebrate Christmas and named it Stella (Latin for star) for its exceptional clarity. Today, Stella Artois is the gold standard for Belgian lagers with its distinctive flavor and spicy hop character.

Contacts

MKL Partners,
Marian Koltail-Levine, 914-672-2418 (mobile)
marian {at} mklpartners(.)com