Microsoft, BMW and Artisan Debut BMW Films Digital Cinema Series With Premiere of "Standing in the Shadows of Motown"

NEW YORK — Microsoft Corp., Artisan Entertainment and BMW ofNorth America, LLC, today announced the launch of the BMW Films DigitalCinema Series on Thursday, Nov. 7, with a premiere screening ofArtisan's "Standing in the Shadows of Motown" and sneak preview ofbmwfilms' "Beat the Devil," part of "The Hire" short film series at thehistoric Apollo Theater in New York. The film will be encoded andscreened digitally using Microsoft® Windows Media® 9 Seriestechnology for a high-quality theater experience without a film print.As a supplement to the film's theatrical release campaign, which beginsNov. 15, "Standing in the Shadows of Motown" also will roll out to 25commercial theaters across the country specially equipped with the newDCS Cinema System product introduced by Digital Cinema Solutions (DCS)."Standing in the Shadows of Motown" will screen digitally in New Yorkand Los Angeles, in addition to its traditional 35mm filmexhibition.

Each digital screening also will feature a film from thegroundbreaking bmwfilms' series, "The Hire." The series, featuringshort films directed by John Woo, Tony Scott and Joe Carnahan, starsClive Owen as the mysterious, unnamed driver-for-hire whose unshakablepoise and superb driving skills are put to the test. The film seriescan be seen online at http://www.bmwfilms.com/.

Working with a variety of off-the-shelf and custom hardware vendors,including Dell Computer Corp., Echo Digital Audio Corp., Intel Corp.and NViDIA Corp., Digital Cinema Solutions of Los Angeles has developedCinema Systems, which combines the high quality and contrast of "darkchip" digital light processing (DLP) projection with thecost-effectiveness and quality of the Windows Media 9 Series format.The DCS Cinema System is an integrated, plug-and-play solution thatallows distributors and exhibitors in the specialty theatrical space toutilize efficiencies in digital exhibition and to explore alternaterevenue streams without displacing their current 35mminfrastructure.

"Our Digital Cinema System complements the currently installed 35mmfilm infrastructure of movie theaters rather than competing with it,and this enables distributors and exhibitors to easily begin delvinginto this new paradigm without jeopardizing their traditional businessmodels," said Jim Steele, president of Digital Cinema Solutions.

As part of the BMW Digital Cinema Series, DCS is able to providethese systems as a service to participating exhibitors at no cost. Oncethe Cinema System is installed, DCS can continue to providesponsor-driven programs such as the BMW Films Digital Cinema Series andwork with the exhibitors on alternate programs such as virtualconcerts, sports events, corporate rentals and multiplayer gamingevents. "Standing in the Shadows of Motown" is the first of eightfeature films in the series to be encoded in Windows Media 9 Series anddigitally projected in theaters nationwide. Each digital screening willbe preceded by one of the new bmwfilms.com shorts in the criticallyacclaimed "The Hire" series.

Shot entirely on location in Detroit from December 2000 throughJanuary 2001, "Standing in the Shadows of Motown" is the rousing filmof Motown's legendary studio band, The Funk Brothers, who backedclassic Motown artists such as Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, and DianaRoss and the Supremes.

"Beat the Devil," directed by Tony Scott, will debut Nov. 21 onhttp://www.bmwfilms.com/. With a nod toward pop culture, this satiricalduel between good and evil finds The Driver hired to chauffeur thelegendary James Brown to a meeting with the devil (Gary Oldman).Decades ago, the rock star sold his soul in exchange for fame andfortune, and now, in his twilight years, wants to renegotiate. Hired totake Mr. Brown to a rendezvous with the devil, The Driver soon findshimself entangled in fiendish plans. Rocker Marilyn Manson adds an edgynote to this already soulful short.

About bmwfilms.com

Hailed by critics across the country as "groundbreaking," with a"cinema connoisseur's dream team of directors," "The Hire" Internetfilm series received international acclaim when it premiered in 2001with original short films directed by five of Hollywood's most noteddirectors.

More than 14 million film views were registered last year on thedigital-quality streaming video Web site bmwfilms.com for the firstfive films of the series, directed by John Frankenheimer, Ang Lee, WongKar-Wai, Guy Ritchie and Alejandro Gonzales Inarritu.

This fall, "The Hire" returns with three new short films, directedby John Woo ("Hostage"), Joe Carnahan ("Ticker") and Tony Scott ("Beatthe Devil"). The constant in each short film is star Clive Owen, themysterious, unnamed driver-for-hire around whom all the filmsrevolve.

Joining Owen is an illustrious supporting cast: "Hostage" featuresMaury Chaykin and Kathryn Morris; "Ticker" stars F. Murray Abraham andDon Cheadle, with special cameo appearances by Ray Liotta, RobertPatrick and Dennis Haysbert; and "Beat the Devil" pits Gary Oldmanagainst James Brown in a race between good and evil, with a specialcameo appearance by Marilyn Manson.

The second installment of "The Hire" is executive-produced by TonyScott, Ridley Scott and Jules Daly, and produced by RSA USA Inc. andFallon Worldwide.

About Artisan

Artisan Entertainment Inc. is the leading independent producer anddistributor of theatrical, television and home entertainment product.The company coordinates its business activities through two whollyowned operating divisions, Artisan Pictures and Artisan HomeEntertainment.

About Windows Media

Windows Media is the leading digital media platform, used byconsumers, content providers, solution providers, software developersand corporations throughout the world. The new Windows Media 9 Serieswill power the next wave of digital media, delivering the best playbackexperience, unmatched audio and video quality, and integrated optionaldigital rights management technology, and is the most comprehensiveplatform for developing digital media products and services. TheWindows Media platform includes Windows Media Player; Windows MediaServices, the powerful streaming server for distributing content;Windows Media Encoder for content creation; Windows Media Audio andVideo for the best quality audio and video; Windows Media DRM forprotecting content; and the Windows Media Software Development Kit forsoftware developers. Windows Media Player, available in 26 languages,is the fastest-growing and now leading media player. More informationabout Windows Media can be found athttp://www.microsoft.com/windowsmedia/.

About Microsoft

Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq "MSFT") is the worldwide leaderin software, services and Internet technologies for personal andbusiness computing. The company offers a wide range of products andservices designed to empower people through great software — anytime, any place and on any device.