..Gary Dretzka
..Noah Forrest
..Leonard Klady
..R.J. Matson
..David Poland
..Douglas Pratt
..Ray Pride
..Michael Wilmington

March 2, 2006

For Immediate Release

Sony Pictures Classics Wins Appeal Over "R" Rating For Academy Nominated Best Foreign Language Film "Joyeux Noël"

Film Opens March 3rd in NY at the Paris and Angelika with New PG-13 Rating

New York, March 2nd 2006 ­ It was announced today that the MPAA Appeals Board over turned the "R" rating for Sony Pictures Classics¹ Academy Nominated Best Foreign Language Film, "JOYEUX NOËL (Merry Christmas)." The film, inspired by true events, takes place in the trenches of the World War I battlefield on Christmas Eve in 1914. The Classification and Ratings Administration originally rated the film R for some war violence and brief nudity. Sony Pictures Classics, along with director Christian Carion, appealed the Rating Board¹s decision and prevailed with a 2/3 majority, obtaining a PG-13 rating (for war violence and a brief scene of sexuality/nudity).

In a statement out of Los Angeles, director Christian Carion said, ³It is important this film is PG-13 because it is a movie young people should see. It has a message of peace, not violence which is very important now a days, especially for our youth.²

Written and directed by Christian Carion, ³Joyeux Noël² stars Diane Kruger, Benno Furmann, Guillaume Canet, Gary Lewis and Daniel Bruhl. The film had its world premiere at the 2005 Cannes International Film Festival and is a 2006 Academy Award Nominee for Best Foreign Language Film. In French and German with English subtitles, ³Joyeux Noël² will open in NYC on March 3rd at the Paris and Angelika Theaters. It has a running time of 115 minutes and is rated PG-13 for war violence and a brief scene of sexuality/nudity.

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