FILMRISE and CNN Films Announce U.S. Broadcast Rights to ‘NOW MORE THAN EVER: The History of Chicago’
Film about rock band Chicago to have television & streaming premiere on CNN platforms beginning Jan. 1, 2017
Film and television distributor FilmRise today announced that it has acquired worldwide distribution rights to Peter Pardini’s ‘Now More Than Ever: The History of Chicago’. CNN Films has acquired U.S. broadcast distribution rights and will premiere the film for the first time on television on New Year’s Day 2017, with limited commercial interruption.
With more than one hundred million albums sold, the rock band Chicago Transit Authority, aka ‘Chicago,’ remains one of the best-selling bands of all time. ‘Now More Than Ever: The History of Chicago’ examines the band’s storied journey to commercial success and critical acclaim, charting the group’s rise from their formation in the late ’60s, to the chart-topping era of the ’70s and ’80s, and through to the present day. Directed and edited by Peter Pardini and produced by the band, ‘Now More Than Ever: The History of Chicago’ is the most comprehensive history of the group’s achievements. Pardini gained unprecedented access to rare archival material, telling the band’s story through interviews with Chicago’s members and performance footage. The film premiered at the 2016 Sedona International Film Festival, where it won the Best of the Fest audience choice award.
“‘Now More Than Ever: The History of Chicago’ is the quintessential account of one band’s monumental success and influence within American music,” said Danny Fisher, CEO of FilmRise. “We’re thrilled to partner with CNN Films to bring this film to Chicago’s millions of admirers throughout the world.”
“The legendary melodies of the iconic supergroup Chicago have become a part of Americana. As the band enters its 50th year of longevity, we hope families and music lovers of all ages enjoy our New Year’s Day premiere,” said Amy Entelis, executive vice president of talent and content development for CNN Worldwide. “Cheers to our partners at FilmRise for making this special tribute possible.”
When the founding members of Chicago came together in 1967 with a shared goal, to blend the musical trends of their revered city into a brand-new style, they could not have anticipated that their cinematic big-band pop would propel them to stardom. Half a century later their hits (‘If You Leave Me Now,’ ‘Saturday in the Park,’ ‘25 Or 6 To 4,’ ‘Make Me Smile,’ and many others) have become rock classics known the world over, with five Grammy® nominations, and two Grammy® award wins (including a win for the band’s first album, Chicago Transit Authority, for the Grammy® Hall of Fame in 2014), countless other awards and honors, and a recent induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
The original acquisition deal was negotiated between Fisher and FilmRise’s vice president of acquisitions Max Einhorn with CAA. The U.S. broadcast rights were negotiated by vice president of business affairs Stacey Wolf on behalf of CNN.
In addition to NOW MORE THAN EVER: The History of Chicago, FilmRise recently acquired Chicago: The Terry Kath Experience, a film about the band’s original lead guitarist Terry Kath.
About FilmRise
FilmRise is a film and TV distribution company founded by veteran producer/financiers Danny Fisher, Jack Fisher and Alan Klingenstein. With over 6,000 titles in a wide range of genres, the company's film acquisitions and releases include HBO’s multiple Emmy®-winning “Going Clear” and “Janis: Little Girl Blue,” directed by Oscar®-nominated filmmaker Amy J. Berg and produced by Oscar®-winner Alex Gibney. Television titles include hit series such as Showtime’s Emmy®-winning “Years of Living Dangerously,” and the longest running true crime show on television “Forensic Files.” Titles are in release digitally on Amazon Prime, iTunes, Netflix, Hulu, VUDU, Xbox, Sony PlayStation, Crackle and other platforms, and on DVD and BluRay on Amazon and over 200 online retailers, including Walmart and Barnes & Noble. FilmRise’s recent acquisitions are two-time Academy Award®-nominee Julie Delpy’s “Lolo”; the acclaimed documentary “The Witness”; “Five Nights in Maine,” starring Oscar®-winner Dianne Wiest, David Oyelowo, and Oscar®-nominee Rosie Perez; the buzzed-about horror-comedy “The Greasy Strangler”; the SXSW documentary “Silicon Cowboys”; the award-winning doc “Harry & Snowman”; the drone warfare documentary “National Bird”; Sean Brosnan’s revenge thriller “My Father Die”; the fascinating LSD documentary “The Sunshine Makers”; the Tribeca-premiered chess documentary “Magnus”; and the critically-acclaimed, controversial Sundance drama, “White Girl.” For more information, go to: www.FilmRise.com.
About CNN Films
CNN Films produces and acquires documentary feature and short films for theatrical and festival exhibition and distribution across CNN’s multiple platforms. Amy Entelis, executive vice president of talent and content development, oversees the strategy for CNN Films; Courtney Sexton, vice president for content development, works day-to-day with filmmakers to oversee projects. For more information about CNN Films, please visit www.CNN.com/CNNFilms and follow @CNNFilms via Twitter.
About CNN
CNN Worldwide is a portfolio of two dozen news and information services across cable, satellite, radio, wireless devices and the Internet in more than 200 countries and territories worldwide. Domestically, CNN reaches more individuals on television, the web and mobile devices than any other cable TV news organization in the United States. Internationally, CNN is the most widely distributed news channel reaching more than 320 million households abroad; and CNN Digital is a top network for online news, mobile news, and social media. Additionally, CNN Newsource is the world’s most extensively utilized news service partnering with hundreds of local and international news organizations around the world. CNN is division of Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., a Time Warner Company.
-30-
TWO AC360° SPECIAL REPORTS: UNPRECEDENTED, GO INSIDE TRUMP & CLINTON CAMPAIGNS AIRING NOV 17 & 18 AT 9PM ET
The 2016 presidential election rewrote the rules. It was historic, divisive, confounding and at almost every turn defied prediction. Clinton was the first female presidential nominee determined to shatter the ultimate glass ceiling, winning the popular vote but losing the election. Trump, a billionaire businessman and former reality TV star, promised to fix Washington and won the coveted office.
With two comprehensive one-hour specials, CNN goes behind the scenes for an unmatched look inside the race:
AC 360° Special Report UNPRECEDENTED: Inside the Trump Campaign (Thursday, Nov 17, 9pmET) – In a roundtable discussion with Anderson Cooper, CNN correspondents provide accounts from the campaign trail of what they saw and heard behind-the-scenes. Chief political correspondent Dana Bash, senior White House correspondent Jim Acosta, national correspondent Sunlen Serfaty, political reporter Sara Murray, and CNN politics reporter Jeremy Diamond take viewers inside the campaign that the polls underestimated.
AC 360° Special Report UNPRECEDENTED: Inside the Clinton Campaign
(Friday, Nov 18, 9pmET) – Anderson Cooper and CNN correspondents discuss their experience covering the Clinton campaign. Senior political correspondent Brianna Keilar, senior Washington correspondent Jeff Zeleny, senior Washington correspondent Joe Johns, national political reporter Maeve Reston and national politics reporter MJ Lee followed the embattled former first lady and New York senator as she fought to make history.
###
ENLIGHTEN US: The Rise and Fall of James Arthur Ray Debuts as CNN Films in December
Film’s World Premiere was at the 2016 Tribeca Film Festival
ENLIGHTEN US: The Rise and Fall of James Arthur Ray, directed by Jenny Carchman, will premiere Thursday, Dec. 01 at 9:00pm and 11:00pm Eastern on CNN/U.S., with limited commercial interruption, the network announced today. ENLIGHTEN US made its world debut at the 2016 Tribeca Film Festival in New York City in April and also screened at Telluride Mountainfilm in Colorado and Tallgrass Film Festival in Kansas.
The film explores the story of the motivational speaker’s meteoric rise, fall, and attempt to return to the $11 billion personal growth industry following his conviction for negligent homicide in the deaths of three of Ray’s clients at one of his events. The film explores the origins of the self-help industry, what followers of the industry are looking for, who is offering answers to those followers, and why some are willing to risk so much for that guidance.
“Jenny Carchman’s thoughtful film brings viewers inside an industry we may recognize, but not fully understand in terms of the multifaceted and complex risks for some devotees. This film invites reflection and conversation about the broad questions of meaning and fulfillment, but also about how we seek answers to those questions,” said Amy Entelis, executive vice president of talent and content development for CNN Worldwide. FULL POST
WE WILL RISE: Michelle Obama's Mission to Educate Girls Around the World debuts tonight in simulcast on CNN & CNN International
We Will Rise: Michelle Obama’s Mission to Educate Girls Around the World featuring Meryl Streep, Freida Pinto, and Isha Sesay premieres tonight, Wednesday, Oct. 12, on CNN/U.S. and CNN International at 9:00pm in simulcast. According to the USAID, more than 62 million adolescent girls around the world are not enrolled in school, yet societies with educated girls have lower rates of infant mortality, higher GDPs, and contribute to the financial success of their families.
The one-hour film, We Will Rise, explores stories of sacrifice, perseverance, and success among girls in Liberia and Morocco who are pursuing their educations despite societal pressures, family obligations, and few financial resources.
Singer Andra Day's moving anthem, "We Will Rise" is the theme song for the film. The trailer to the film can be seen, here: http://cnn.it/2er26sj
We Will Rise will encore Thursday, Oct. 13 at 12:00am. The film premieres on HLN on Saturday, Oct. 15 at 12:00pm. All times Eastern.
# # #
CNN Wins Four News And Documentary Emmy Awards
CNN Worldwide was awarded with four Emmy ® Awards at the 37th Annual News and Documentary Awards held last night in New York. CNN’s diverse recognitions include:
Outstanding Coverage of a Breaking News Story in a Regularly Scheduled Newscast
Anderson Cooper 360, Europe’s Refugee Crisis – Reports by CNN’s Arwa Damon
For months CNN’s Arwa Damon and her team followed the unprecedented wave of refugees coming to Europe, moving with them through the corridors of passage, and bringing a sense of immediacy to an unpredictable story with many lives at stake. The team showed exceptional grit and commitment, broadcasting live from all manner of transport as the refugees tried to push on through Europe to get to Germany, their preferred destination. The team’s endurance and skill was best illustrated by their race through cornfields with fleeing refugees, after the migrants broke out of a holding camp in Hungary where they were frustrated at being made to wait. The field team reacted quickly and managed to maintain a serious level of production at a fast clip. This distinctive work helped nudge European leaders to review their inconsistent immigration policies and deal urgently with the pressing needs of the refugees. FULL POST
Girls will ‘Rise Up’ with First Lady Michelle Obama, Meryl Streep, Freida Pinto, Andra Day, Isha Sesay and CNN Films for October
Global Broadcasts of ‘We Will Rise: Michelle Obama’s Mission to Educate
Girls Around the World’ for the International Day of the Girl Begin Oct. 11
CNN Films is producing a new film about girls overcoming incredible challenges to achieve their educations and change their own lives, with contributions from First Lady Michelle Obama, Meryl Streep, Freida Pinto, and CNN journalist Isha Sesay. Singer Andra Day’s motivational anthem, ‘Rise Up’ will serve as the theme for the film. The Documentary Group, which produced CNN Films’ first co-production, ‘Girl Rising,’ also produced this special one-hour film.
We Will Rise: Michelle Obama’s Mission to Educate Girls Around the World featuring Meryl Streep, Freida Pinto, and Isha Sesay will premiere on CNN International on the International Day of the Girl during primetime in Asia, Europe, and Africa on Tuesday, Oct. 11 at 6:00am, 12:00pm, and 3:00pm. All times Eastern.
The CNN/U.S. premiere on Wednesday, Oct. 12 at 9:00pm will simulcast on CNN International; We Will Rise: Michelle Obama’s Mission to Educate Girls Around the World will encore Thursday, Oct. 13 at 12:00am. The film will premiere on HLN on Saturday, Oct. 15 at 12:00pm. All times Eastern. The film will premiere on CNN en Español on Saturday, Nov. 5, viewers are asked to check local listings for exact airtimes. FULL POST
CNN Wins Primetime Emmy® Awards For Anthony Bourdain Parts Unknown and The Hunting Ground
Parts Unknown Awarded Fourth Consecutive Emmy® in Outstanding Informational Series or Special; Diane Warren wins Outstanding Original Music & Lyrics For The Hunting Ground Theme
The CNN Original Series’ Anthony Bourdain Parts Unknown was honored in the 68th Primetime Creative Arts Emmy® Awards ceremony, with its fourth consecutive Emmy® in the Outstanding Informational Series or Special category. Additionally, Diane Warren earned an Emmy® in the Outstanding Original Music and Lyrics category for “Til It Happens to You,” the anthem for sexual assault survivors, for the CNN Films documentary The Hunting Ground.
The Emmy® presentations took place over two nights on Saturday, September 10 and Sunday September 11 at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles.
Anthony Bourdain Parts Unknown, which premieres its eighth season on CNN on September 25 and features a dinner with President Obama in Hanoi, is produced by Zero Point Zero Production. Receiving the award were host/executive producer Bourdain, executive producers Christopher Collins, Lydia Tenaglia and Sandra Zweig, and producers Toby Oppenheimer, Tom Vitale and Mike Steed.
Receiving the Emmy ® for The Hunting Ground, which originally aired on CNN on November 22, 2015, was composer and lyricist Diane Warren. FULL POST
HOLY HELL Debuts at #1 in Demo for CNN
Film Encores Saturday at 8:00pm & 10:00pm ET; Now Available Across CNN’s Mobile Platforms
CNN was first place among cable news networks last night with 384k viewers aged 25 to 54 and 102k viewers aged 18 to 34 with its CNN Films broadcast of HOLY HELL, the fascinating documentary feature about life inside the Buddhafield, the mysterious spiritual community that originated in the 1980s in West Hollywood. FOX had 370k and MSNBC had 357k viewers aged 25 to 54. Among viewers aged 18 to 34, MSNBC had 86k and FOX had 64k.
Among total viewers, HOLY HELL delivered 1026k viewers for CNN. FOX had 1997k and MSNBC had 1575k among viewers P2+.
HOLY HELL will encore Saturday, Sept. 3 at 8:00pm and 10:00pm Eastern and is currently available On Demand on CNNgo via desktop (www.CNN.com/go), mobile, iPad, and Apple TV, and across CNN’s mobile platforms.
HOLY HELL had its world premiere at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival. The director, Will Allen, is also a producer of the film along with Tracey Harnish and Alexandra Johnes. The executive producers are Michael C. Donaldson, Julian Goldstein, Jared Leto, and Cheryl Wheeler Sanders.
Source: The Nielsen Company, Fast National time-period based data for Thurs 09/01/16. FULL POST
Director Will Allen's HOLY HELL Premieres TONIGHT as CNN Films Broadcast at 9pm Eastern
HOLY HELL captures what life was like in the mysterious, California-based spiritual community, the Buddhafield. Just out of film school, a young, idealistic Will Allen was introduced to the Buddhafield, eventually becoming a personal aide to Michel, “the teacher.” As a member and unofficial documentarian of the utopian group for 22 years, Allen’s film of his fellow followers and Michel is both revealing and intimate.
Allen’s singular point of view offers a compelling exploration of why Buddhafield, and its even more mysterious, charismatic leader, are powerfully attractive and terrifying at the same time. After many painful years, Allen eventually found the courage to leave the Buddhafield – taking hundreds of hours of his footage with him. Since leaving, Allen has grown increasingly fearful of the guru and the guru’s continuing extreme influence over some followers, voicing his fears even at the film’s festival premiere in January.
This film made its dramatic debut at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival. The CNN Films broadcast premieres TONIGHT, Thursday, Sept. 1 at 9:00pm and 11:00pm Eastern.
###
Almost President: The Agony of Defeat to Air on CNN on Sept. 14
ALMOST PRESIDENT: THE AGONY OF DEFEAT TO AIR ON CNN ON WEDNESDAY, September 14th
CNN SPECIAL REPORT HOSTED BY CNN CHIEF POLITICAL ANALYST GLORIA BORGER
WASHINGTON, D.C. – August. 23, 2016 – In Almost President, CNN Chief Political Analyst Gloria Borger tells a story that has not been told before: four men, sharing their accounts of how they lived through the most public failure in American life. Mitt Romney, John McCain, Michael Dukakis, and Walter Mondale detail their journeys – from years of reaching the pinnacle of American politics, their moments of greatest triumph, all the way to the moment that each man knew – in one night – it was all over.
In a series of interviews that took place over the last three years, each candidate analyzes his own mistakes, the impact on their families, the pain of knowing they will always be branded as ‘almost president.' By and large, they’re still not over it, but they would all do it all over again.
@CNNPR on Twitter
