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Cinematic Master Schindler's List To Get 20th Anniversary Blu-Ray Release

Experience one of the most historically significant films like never before when Academy Award®-winning director Steven Spielberg’s Schindler’s List marks its 20th Anniversary with a Blu-ray™ including Digital Copy, UltraViolet™, more than one hour of Bonus Features and a 16 page companion booklet on 8 April 2013 from Universal Studios Home Entertainment. Schindler’s List 20th Anniversary Edition has been meticulously restored from the original film negative in pristine high definition, supervised by Steven Spielberg and includes bonus features that shed unprecedented light on the story of Oskar Schindler, a member of the Nazi party who risked his own life to save more than 1,100 Jews during the Holocaust.

 One of the most powerful films of our generation, Schindler’s List tells an extraordinary true story of courage and faith that continues to inspire. Spielberg personally supervised the extensive high-definition restoration of the film from the 35mm film original negative so that viewers can see this powerful story as never before. In addition to the Blu-ray™ the Digital Copy and UltraViolet™ features allow viewers to watch Schindler’s List anytime, anywhere on the platform of their choice for the ultimate, complete viewing experience.

With its initial release in 1993, Schindler’s List rapidly became one of the most honoured films of all time, garnering twelve Academy Award® nominations and taking home seven Oscars®, including Best Director and Best Picture for Spielberg.  The film also earned Oscars® for composer John Williams (E.T., Star Wars), screenwriter Steven Zaillian (Gangs of New York, Mission: Impossible) and director of photography Janusz Kaminiski, as well as art directors Allan Starski and Ewa Braun, editor Michael Kahn and producers Gerald R. Molen and Branko Lustig.

Liam Neeson (Taken, Gangs of New York) received a Best Actor Academy Award® nomination for his portrayal of Oskar Schindler. Ralph Fiennes’ (The English Patient, the Harry Potter series) star-making performance as the cruel Nazi commander, Amon Goeth, was nominated for Best Supporting Actor, as was Oscar®-winner Ben Kingsley (Gandhi, Hugo) in the role of Schindler’s Jewish accountant, Itzhak Stern.



The Schindler’s List 20th Anniversary Edition Blu-ray™ includes:

• Blu-ray™ disc unleashes the power of your HDTV and is the best way to watch movies at home, featuring perfect hi-def picture and hi-def sound
• Digital Copy provides consumers with a choice of formats from a variety of partners, including options to watch on iPhone®, Android™, computers and more
• UltraViolet™ is a revolutionary new way for consumers to collect their movies and TV shows in the cloud. UltraViolet™ lets consumers instantly stream and download to tablets, smartphones, computers and TVs. Now available in both the United Kingdom and Ireland

A 16 page companion booklet with ‘behind the scenes’ information telling more about the incredible stories around Spielberg’s masterpiece

Bonus Features on Both the Blu-rayTM & DVD

• Voices from the List:  Featuring documentary with testimonies from those who survived the Holocaust thanks to Oskar Schindler.
• USC Shoah Foundation Story with Steven Spielberg: The director shows how filming Schindler’s List inspired him to establish the USC Shoah Foundation

The Blu-ray™ is also available to own in a Limited Edition Digibook format.
The Schindler’s List DVD is also released with Digital Copy, UltraViolet™ and a 16 page companion booklet

Pre-order/Buy: Schindler's List - 20th Anniversary Edition Digibook (Blu-ray + Digital Copy + UV Copy) [1993]

Synposis:Adapted from the novel by Thomas Keneally, Steven Spielberg’s masterful film tells the incredible true story of the courageous Oskar Schindler (Liam Neeson). Initially a member of the Nazi party, the Catholic Schindler risks his career and life, and ultimately goes bankrupt, to employ 1,100 Jews in his crockery factory during the Holocaust. Schindler’s Jewish accountant (Ben Kingsley) serves as his conscience, as Schindler conducts business with an obstinate and cruel Nazi commander (Ralph Fiennes), who viciously kills Jewish prisoners from the balcony of his villa overlooking a prison camp. Filmed entirely in black-and-white on location in Poland, Schindler’s List does not downplay the faults of its magnanimous and unlikely hero, but relates a story of the triumph of the human spirit in the face of horrific devastation and tragedy.

FILMMAKERS
Cast: Liam Neeson, Ben Kingsley, Ralph Fiennes, Caroline Goodall, Jonathan Sagall, Embeth Davidtz
Director: Steven Spielberg
Screenwriter: Steven Zaillian, based on a novel by Thomas Keneally
Producers: Branko Lustig, Gerard R. Molen, Steven Spielberg
Co-Producer: Lew Rywin
Executive Producer: Kathleen Kennedy
Associate Producers:  Irving Glovin, Robert Raymond
Director of Photography: Janusz Kaminski
Production Designer: Allan Starski
Editor: Michael Kahn

TECHNICAL INFORMATION BLU-RAY™

Release Date: 8 April 2013

Copyright: 2013 Universal Studios. All Rights Reserved.

Cat Numbers: 8293637 (Blu-ray) / 8294037 (Digibook)

Running Time: 189 mins 64 secs (film) / 82 mins 4 secs (bonus)

Aspect Ratio: Widescreen, 1.85:1 (Disc 1) / various (Disc 2)

Certificate: 15 (UK & Ireland)

Interview: American Mary Directors The Soska Sisters

Jen and Sylvia Soska are the ‘terrible twins’ who are taking the film world by storm. Their second feature, AMERICAN MARY, is enjoying huge critical success ahead of its UK release in January 2013.

For their Director’s Night on Horror Channel, they have chosen ‘Hellraisers’,’Martyrs’ and ‘Pontypool’ and here they talk about their choices, why the UK is so special to them, the therapeutic nature of American Mary and why they can’t wait to get started on ‘Bob’.

Q: Last year Horror Channel broadcast the world premiere of ‘Dead Hooker In A Trunk’. What did that mean to you?

SS: When we were in the UK for FrightFest this year, we met so many people that were introduced to our work through the Horror Channel screenings - that gives an independent an audience they could never reach otherwise on a global scale.

JS: The UK is very special to us. It's the first place the film showed at a festival and the first place it was released. It was only was fitting to have our television premiere where we've had such a stellar response. It was at the same time very surreal. We watched along via twitter with the fans and I think we crashed our twitter account half way through and had to carry on via Facebook, ha ha! And to have an intro from our horror girl crush, Emily Booth, was a dream come true.

Q: How did that film change your lives?

SS: That film and more specifically the support we received from the horror community has changed our lives. We have this amazing opportunity to create unique films and we have brilliant people standing by the work to make it possible. We're promoting our second film, American Mary, now; what's different is we're getting the chance to travel and meet the people who have made this possible and watch the film with them. I feel like we're the luckiest horror nerds on the planet.

JS: Dead Hooker In A Trunk was a massive success due to the outstanding support of the horror community. First and foremost, we're horror fans ourselves and there's nothing like the feeling of having our fellow horror lovers embrace what we're doing. It's never been more easy to make a film in the way that we have so much technology and that makes it on the flip side a great struggle to stand apart from all the others, particularly for first time filmmakers. DHIAT has made us known filmmakers and that is a huge honour. We are so grateful to the people who have believed in us from the very beginning. They're the reason we're able to keep making films.

Q: Your new movie American Mary, which opens in the UK in January, has made a huge impact across the globe and has critics clambering over themselves to heap praise upon it. Where did the idea come from?

SS: Thank you; it's a very personal story. We were fascinated about the body modification culture when stumbling upon it years ago and massively researching the subject matter. We were struggling after making DHIAT, this is before its release, poor as hell, starving, meeting monsters in the industry, and having all sorts of personal troubles. The script was very therapeutic - we put everything we were going through and ourselves into that story using mainstream medicine Vs body modification as analogies for mainstream film industry Vs the horror scene. We wanted to shift people's opinions on appearances on the surface as well as one person's struggles for success.

JS: We've always been outcasts and found friendship and acceptance with our fellow underdogs. That inability to accept people who are different comes largely from ignorance. The body modification community is largely misunderstood and seems to be the subject of modern day witch hunts. It makes no sense to me that cosmetic surgery is fully accepted whereas body modification is ridiculed. We wanted to educate people on body mod. It makes a perfect vessel for telling our story as well.

Q.How different was it making American Mary compared to DHIAT?

SS: On DHIAT, we were every department. It was sink or swim and everyone having multiple jobs. On AM, we had experts in every department that killed themselves to make every aspect of the film excel. We had the experience from DHIAT to understand each department role and be involved, but a great full team and some money makes a world of difference, especially with an ambitious film like AM.

JS: Every project is a different experience. You learn from each, but they're all unique. The things that happened on DHIAT didn't happen on AM. DHIAT taught us how to roll with the punches which is an invaluable skill for a filmmaker at any level. Every film does come with its individual challenges. They're never the things you prepare for. You just need to be able to trouble shoot and keep going no matter what is standing in your way.

Q: Do you think you’ve grown in confidence as writers and directors?

SS: Yes. This job toughens you up significantly. I wanted to please everyone earlier on and you just can't do that. You have to stick to your guns, get your shots, and make your day. You have to be worthy of the leadership and visionary position that you have. I love collaborating with other team members to create a beautiful project, but I don't put up with shit from people who derail the process. Life's too short to deal with assholes.

JS: Absolutely. You become more sure of yourself and confident with your vision. I'm proud of DHIAT, but that film was very reflective of where we were when we made it. AM is where we've evolved to and our next film will be reflective of where we evolve to next. As a Canadian and as a woman, society trains you to tread so lightly and avoid confrontation and that's a load of bullsh*t you need to train yourself out of. You need to stick to your guns and trust your instincts. I'm very comfortable with that now. We don't compromise with our artistic vision. When you try to please everyone you end up pleasing no one, especially yourself.

Q: Does it make you nervous for your next movie?

SS: I'm dying to get back to work. I love travelling and promoting a film, but I only truly feel like myself when I'm working on creating a film - I long to get back to that. And the next one is completely different; I can't wait to get it out to people.

JS: Quite the opposite. I can't wait to be shooting and prepping and cutting the new one. It's been a life changing experience to be able to travel with American Mary and have the opportunity to connect with the fans, but I feel the most like who I am when I'm working on a film. It's invigorating and exciting and there's no feeling in the world like it. I can't wait to create a new, original nightmare for the horror community.

Q: American Mary will be released in the UK in January. For the DVD; can you give us any hint of what extras we can expect?

SS: I like bringing people into the world of how the film is created. We've got some great behind the scenes goodies, a making of mini-documentary, and some other good stuff. Plus, it's our first film out on Blu-ray - we shot on the Red and it makes a big picture difference.

JS: Yup, everything Sylvie said. The behind the scenes is my favourite feature. You get to see us and the full cast and crew in the thrall of it all.

Q: You’ve chosen Pontypool, Martyrs and Hellraiser for your Director’s Night, can you explain why you picked these three movies?

SS: They are some of my favourite horror films. I don't like predictable, paint by numbers horror - these films are genuinely unique and memorable, Martyrs might actually scar your mind. I like that kind of feeling, films that make you feel something.

JS: Pontypool is one of the most original takes on a classic horror genre and it's one of those hidden little horror gems. We wanted to get it out there and share it. It's a film that too few people know about. Hellraiser is just an outstanding work of art. We saw it when we were 12 and needless to say it was quite impactful. We adore body horror and Clive Barker. It's one of those films that’s just as damn good every time you see it.

Q: So what’s next for you two?

SS: Bob is next. There's a monster in all of us, sometimes it gets out. Be prepared for something wild that you haven't seen before.

JS: I'm very excited to get going on Bob. It's a very original take on a genre that's been plagued with a lot of crap as of late. We have the remedy for that.

Jen and Sylvia Soska, thank you very much.

SS: Thank you so very much!!

From Jan 11 2013, The Soska Sisters will be in the UK for a nationwide theatrical tour for AMERICAN MARY, courtesy of FrightFest and Universal.

Hedge Your Bets This August With OUTSIDE BET On DVD

Hedge your bets on this summer’s feel good romantic comedy as Outside Bet arrives on shelves on 20th August 2012. 

It is 1985: Thatcher is in power, Sade is on the radio, and the print workers have gone on strike. But nothing, not even a scale eight earthquake can dishearten a group of close friends that meet every Sunday in their regular South London pub for a pint and free flowing banter of the highest order.

An impressive host of British acting talent including Academy Award® nominee Bob Hoskins (Mona Lisa, Made in Dagenham), BAFTA® winner Jenny Agutter (An American Werewolf in London, Equus) and Phil Davis (Fast Girls, Notes on a Scandal) are joined by relative newcomers Emily Atack (The Inbetweeners), Calum McNab (The Football Factory, The Firm) and Adam Deacon (Anuvahood, Kidulthood).

Set against the backdrop of a changing way of life—as Rupert Murdoch moves the printing of his newspapers from Fleet Street to Wapping—this is a tale of seven firm friends, who embark on a unique journey that eventually leads them to gamble all of their savings and redundancy money on a single race. Sure to charm and based on the semi-autobiographical novel The Mumper by Mark Baxter and Paulo Hewitt, Outside Bet is released on DVD by Universal Pictures UK Ltd. on 20^th August 2012.

For Mark and his mates in eighties South London, life doesn’t promise much more than a day job at the printers and nights out at the local boozer. But when they’re given a chance to buy a young racehorse, Mark sees an opportunity to change everyone’s lives forever. After some gentle persuasion, the six lads and their beautiful friend Katie pool their savings and take a gamble on this potential winner. Can ‘The Mumper’ really go the distance and win Mark the girl of his dreams?

Join Bob Hoskins, Calum Macnab, Jenny Agutter, Emily Atack and a great British supporting cast for a feelgood adventure that beats the odds.

Because sometimes getting what you want, means making an OUTSIDE BET.




Pre Order /Buy:Outside Bet On DVD

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