Fox Filmed Entertainment Establishes New Division to Target Teen and Young Adult Audience; Fox Searchlight Chief Peter Rice Appointed President

Business Wire, Dec 20, 2005

LOS ANGELES -- Chairmen of Fox Filmed Entertainment Tom Rothman and Jim Gianopulos announced today the formation of a new creative content division specifically targeting teen and young adult audiences, the world's most avid film consumers. The new division (the name for which will be announced shortly) will be run by Peter Rice, who has signed a new five-year deal with FFE.

The division's mandate is to produce and acquire up to eight films. It will focus on a mix of genres including comedy, action, thriller and drama, featuring unique, cutting-edge voices. Additionally, it is charged with creating new media content for internet, mobile devices, and other emerging technologies. The new division will have its own production and marketing staffs, while distribution will be handled through 20th Century Fox. It will work closely with the newly formed Fox Interactive Media and their powerhouse brands, My Space and IGN.

Stated Jim Gianopulos: "We believe strongly in the explosive potential of the teen and young adult audience, and that having a separate division geared to their aesthetic, their habits and their pace will produce strong growth for FFE. We have had great success BY segmenting our creative focus AND adding Fox 2000, Fox Animation, and Fox Searchlight to the output of TCF and are confident that under Peter's leadership this new division will rapidly earn its place alongside."

Added Tom Rothman: "Peter is a crackerjack film executive who has been making all of us at Fox look good for years. We are lucky as hell that he has agreed not only to keep doing that for five more years, but to take on an additional new challenge to boot. We are confident that he will both keep Searchlight, now entering its second decade of existence, on its perch as the classiest and most consistent entity in the specialized business and quickly establish his new company as its rebellious younger sibling, with nothing but growth ahead."

Peter Rice commented: "Building a new creative content division inside Fox is a thrilling challenge and I thank Tom and Jim for this exciting opportunity and their faith in me. Fox is a company that encourages bold creativity and innovation; these principles will serve us well as we embrace new technology to create and distribute unique and memorable content for a targeted niche group."

Mr. Rice will continue to spearhead Fox Searchlight as President, a role he has held since 2000, with the leadership team of President of Marketing Nancy Utley and President of Distribution Stephen Gilula. Added Mr. Rice: "At Searchlight, I have the privilege of working with the dream team of indie film executives: Nancy Utley, Stephen Gilula, Executive Vice President of Production Claudia Lewis and Executive Vice President Joseph De Marco. They will continue to lead the company with me as we release a wonderful slate of original and provocative films in the coming year."

Under their leadership, Fox Searchlight has generated more than $550 million at the box office and 10 nominations, including Best Picture for SIDEWAYS. Some of the key films released during their tenure include SIDEWAYS, NAPOLEON DYNAMITE, 28 DAYS LATER, KINSEY, GARDEN STATE, BEND IT LIKE BECKHAM, IN AMERICA, ANTWONE FISHER, ONE HOUR PHOTO, BROWN SUGAR, THE GOOD GIRL, THE DEEP END and SEXY BEAST.

2006 will mark Fox Searchlight's most aggressive and dynamic slate in its 11-year history offering an eclectic array of drama, comedy, horror and science fiction. Amongst the films to be released are: the smash hit out of the Toronto International Film Festival Jason Reitman's THANK YOU FOR SMOKING, based on Christopher Buckley's acclaimed novel of the same name; NOTES ON A SCANDAL, headlining Oscar(R) winners Judi Dench and Cate Blanchett and helmed by Richard Eyre from the acclaimed writer of CLOSER, Patrick Marber; the much-anticipated SUNSHINE, re-teaming the 28 DAYS LATER filmmaking talent of Danny Boyle and Alex Garland; MARGARET, from two-time Oscar-nominated Kenneth Lonergan, produced by Scott Rudin; Academy Award(R)-nominated director Mira Nair's THE NAMESAKE based on Pulitzer Prize-winning author Jhumpa Lahiri's novel of the same name; THE HILLS HAVE EYES, a newly re-imagined version of Wes Craven's cult classic, directed by Alexandre Aja and produced by Craven; Oscar-winning documentary director Kevin Macdonald's THE LAST KING OF SCOTLAND with a powerhouse performance by Forest Whitaker as Idi Amin; THE HISTORY BOYS, re-teaming the award-winning talents of MADNESS OF KING GEORGE director Nicholas Hytner and acclaimed writer Alan Bennett, based on the award-winning play of the same name that will premiere on Broadway in the spring of 2006; WATER, Deepa Mehta's illuminating film that captivated audiences opening night of the Toronto International Film Festival; TRUST THE MAN, directed by Bart Freundlich and featuring a stellar cast including Julianne Moore, David Duchovny, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Billy Crudup and Eva Mendes; NIGHT WATCH (NOCHNOI DOZOR), the highest grossing Russian film of all time and the first of a fantasy-horror trilogy by visionary director Timur Bekmambetov; the sharply affectionate and witty British comedies CONFETTI and IMAGINE ME & YOU; and PHAT GIRLZ, starring the outrageous comedic talents of Mo'Nique.