MCN Press Release: Defiance Closes AFI

Los Angeles, CA, September 17, 2008—AFI FEST 2008 presented by Audi: AFI Los Angeles International Film Festival announces that Paramount Vantage’s DEFIANCE has been selected as the Festival’s Closing Night Gala presentation. DEFIANCE will have its World Premiere at the Festival on Sunday, November 9, 2008 at ArcLight Hollywood’s Cinerama Dome Theatre. The Closing Night Gala is presented by Audi of America. DEFIANCE will be in theaters this December.

Directed and co-written by Edward Zwick, DEFIANCE is based on a true story of family, honor, vengeance and salvation in World War II. Managing to escape certain death, three brothers take refuge in the dense woods they have known since childhood. There they begin their desperate battle against the Nazis. At first it is all they can do to stay alive. But gradually, as whispers of their daring spreads, they begin to attract others – men and women, young and old – willing to risk everything for the sake of even a moment’s freedom. As a brutal winter descends, they work to create a community, and to keep faith alive when all humanity appeared to be lost. Daniel Craig, Liev Schreiber and Jamie Bell star as brothers who turn a primitive struggle to survive into something far more consequential – a way to avenge the deaths of their loved ones by saving thousands of others.

An AFI alumnus and Vice-Chair AFI Board of Trustees, Zwick was accepted as a Directing Fellow at the American Film Institute in 1975. Zwick made his feature film directorial debut on ABOUT LAST NIGHT. He then went on to direct such films as the multiple Academy Award-winning GLORY, LEGENDS OF THE FALL, COURAGE UNDER FIRE, THE SIEGE, THE LAST SAMURAI and most recently, BLOOD DIAMOND. In addition, Zwick was one of the producers of TRAFFIC, the winner of four Academy Awards and two Golden Globe Awards, as well as producing the Academy Award winner for Best Picture, SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE. Zwick is also a past recipient of AFI’s prestigious Franklin J. Schaffner Alumni Medal.

This will mark Zwick’s second appearance at AFI FEST, having previewed scenes and discussed his work on BLOOD DIAMOND, prior to the film’s opening in 2006.

“As part of the AFI family, I am deeply honored they have chosen DEFIANCE, a ten year labor of love, as their closing night film," stated Zwick. "As a student at the AFI, I was encouraged to tell stories with meaning and purpose and I have tried to hold onto that belief in my career.”

"AFI FEST is honored to host the World Premiere of DEFIANCE at AFI FEST. The event symbolizes the very heart of the American Film Institute – to train the next generation of filmmakers and then have them come home to premiere a film of the highest artistic ideals,” said Bob Gazzale, AFI’s President and CEO.

DEFIANCE featured the work of five American Film Institute alums, including Zwick, Marshall Herskovitz (Executive Producer), Pieter Jan Brugge (Producer), Steven Rosenblum (editor) and Scott Jacobs (Prod. Asst.).

AFI FEST 2008 will run October 30-November 9, 2008. Passes are on sale now and individual film and event tickets go on sale to the public on October 10. To order passes and tickets and to get more information, visit www.AFI.com or call 1.866.AFI.FEST.

About AFI FEST
AFI is a national institute providing leadership in screen education and the recognition and celebration of excellence in the art of film, television and digital media. Celebrating its 22nd year as a program of the American Film Institute, AFI FEST 2008 presented by Audi will take place October 30-November 9. Kicking off the awards season each year, AFI FEST offers a crucial avenue of exposure to the entertainment community, while providing appreciative audiences with a festive atmosphere and the very best of world film, right in the center of the film capital of the world.

AFI FEST 2008 presented by Audi is supported in part by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors through the Los Angeles County Arts Commission, the Department of Cultural Affairs, City of Los Angeles and the Hollywood Sign Trust. AFI FEST is made possible in part by a grant from the Academy Foundation of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. AFI FEST is proud to continue its collaborative partnership with the Skirball Cultural Center.

AFI FEST 2008 presented by Audi is sponsored in part by American Airlines,
ArcLight Hollywood, RR Donnelley, Farmers Insurance, Samsung, Absolut Vodka, Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, and Stella Artois. The Los Angeles Times is the Festival's Presenting Media Partner.

About Audi of America, Inc.

Audi of America, Inc. offers a line of luxury vehicles that include the Audi A3 sport compact; the sporty A4 sedan, Avant and Cabriolet models; the high performance S4 sedan, Avant and Cabriolet models, the high-revving RS 4 sport sedan and Cabriolet; the all new A5 Coupe with FSI direct injection technology; the S5 Coupe with 354 hp; the design-leading A6 sedan and Avant; the V-10 powered high performance S6 sedan; the Audi Q7 performance SUV; the new all-aluminum Audi A8 and A8L; the new S8 with V10 power; the all-new 2008 TT Coupe and Roadster models; and the all-new, all-aluminum R8, one of the most exclusive mid-engine sports cars in the world. Upcoming Audi vehicle launches in the USA include the updated A3 with quattro all-wheel drive (Sept. 2008), all-new A4 sedan/Avant (Sept. 2008), TTS coupe and Roadster (end 2008), Audi Q7 3.0 TDI (Q1 2009), and Audi Q5 (Q1 2009). For more information, please visit www.audiusa.com <http://www.audiusa.com/> or media.audiusa.com.