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FESTIVAL EXPRESS Director: Bob Smeaton Starring: Grateful Dead, Janis Joplin, The Band, the Buddy Guy Blues Band MPAA Rating: R (for some language) Total Running Time: 90 Minutes DVD Order Date: October 5, 2004 |
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AVAILABLE NOVEMBER 2 AS A 2-DISC DVD SET FROM NEW LINE HOME ENTERTAINMENT Acclaimed Theatrical Feature Debuts on Double-Disc DVD as the First Title in New Line Home Entertainment’s Distribution Arrangement with THINKFilm |
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LOS ANGELES, CA (August 30, 2004) – Legendary musicians the Grateful Dead, Janis Joplin, The Band, the Buddy Guy Blues Band and more are all aboard Festival Express, an explosive rockumentary available November 2 as a 2-disc DVD set from New Line Home Entertainment. Directed by two-time Grammy Award®-winner Bob Smeaton, Festival Express is a rousing record of a little-known – but monumental – moment in rock n’ roll history. More than fifty additional minutes of previously unseen footage highlight this double-disc set, overflowing with extra features including interviews from past and present tour participants. The DVD is marked at a $24.98 SRP, and the order due date is October 5, 2004. “Festival Express is a true achievement in documentary filmmaking, capturing a landmark event in music history,” said Matt Lasorsa, New Line Home Entertainment’s executive vice president of marketing. “The DVD offers fans the ultimate backstage pass with a rock n’ roll flashback that combines long-lost footage and contemporary interviews.” |
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Set in 1970 – and consisting largely of footage that has never been seen since – Festival Express documents an eponymous “happening.” Following on the heels of Woodstock, “Festival Express” was a multi-band, multi-day extravaganza that captured the spirit and imagination of a generation and a nation. What made it unique was that it was portable; for five days, the bands and performers lived, slept, rehearsed and did countless unmentionable things aboard a customized train that traveled from Toronto, to Calgary, to Winnipeg, with each stop culminating in a mega-concert. The entire experience – both off-stage and on – was filmed by Peter Biziou, with extensive footage remaining locked away until now. That material, along with contemporary interviews with various participants, witnesses and survivors has been assembled by award-winning director Bob Smeaton to create a thrilling document of something that would – and could – never be duplicated. The footage is among the very first to document musicians’ lives, both on and off stage, for such an extended and continuous period of time and offers glimpses of a lifestyle perhaps never to be seen again. First-person interviews with a selection of the musicians, crew and even some of the music lovers who were in attendance provide a unique insight into what may have been the last great rock n’ roll ride. According to Bob Weir of the Grateful Dead, “That train was buzzing down the rails. We achieved lift off for sure.” With performances from Jerry Garcia and the Grateful Dead, Janis Joplin, The Band, The Buddy Guy Blues Band, Festival Express explodes with the following song list: Grateful Dead “Don’t Ease Me In” Grateful Dead “Friend of the Devil” The Band “Slippin’ and Slidin’” Delaney & Bonnie “Goin’ Down The Road” Buddy Cage/Various Artists “Traditional Country Song” Buddy Guy & Rick Danko “Baby Here I Come” Jerry Garcia & Sylvia Tyson “Better Take Jesus’ Hand (1st version)” Mashmakhan “Comin’ Home Baby” Buddy Guy “Money” Flying Burrito Brothers “Lazy Day” The Band “The Weight” Janis Joplin “Cry Baby” Buddy Guy & Jerry Garcia “I Can’t Do It Baby” Janis Joplin & Rick Danko “Ain’t No More Cane” Various Artists “Sunshine of Your Love” Sha Na Na “Rock & Roll Is Here To Stay” Ian & Sylvia & The Great Speckled Bird “CC Rider” Grateful Dead “New Speedway Boogie” The Band “I Shall Be Released” Janis Joplin “Tell Mama” Janis Joplin “Me & Bobby McGee” New Riders of the Purple Sage “Better Take Jesus’ Hand (2nd version)” DVD SPECIAL FEATURES With more than 50 additional minutes of exclusive performance footage not seen in the theatrical version of the film, the Festival Express DVD set features the following “bonus” set list: Grateful Dead “Easy Wind” Janis Joplin “Move Over” Janis Joplin “Kozmic Blues” Buddy Guy “Hoochie Coochie Man” Mashmakhan “As Years Go By” Eric Anderson “Thirsty Boots” Ian & Sylvia “Tears of Rage” Tom Rush “Child’s Song” Seatrain “Thirteen Questions” The DVD set also offers 25 minutes of additional interviews, “The Making of the Festival Express Film” featurette, the theatrical trailer and a photo gallery as well as a 16x9 widescreen version of the film with Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound, DTS and stereo surround sound, with English and Spanish subtitles and closed captions. NEW LINE HOME ENTERTAINMENT INKS THINK New Line Home Entertainment has announced a multi-picture distribution deal with the New York-based THINKFilm. Under the arrangement, New Line holds U.S. home video distribution rights to future THINKFilm projects, including The Story of the Weeping Camel, The Agronomist, Festival Express and Bright Young Things. Additional films are yet to be identified. “THINKFilm offers a diverse library of independent film and has an outstanding sensibility in acquiring new projects,” said Kevin Kasha, New Line Home Entertainment’s senior vice president of acquisitions and programming. “This distribution arrangement perfectly complements New Line Home Entertainment’s long-standing tradition of providing quality, cutting-edge programming to the home video marketplace.” Said Jeff Sackman, THINKFilm’s president and chief executive officer, “Innovation and creativity have always been the benchmark of New Line Home Entertainment, and we are thrilled have such strong marketing and sales teams behind the home video releases of our films.” ABOUT THINKFILM THINKFilm is a privately held independent film distributor with offices in Toronto and New York City. It was founded by president/chief executive officer Jeff Sackman in September of 2001, with its official launch held at the Toronto International Film Festival, and quickly built a reputation for releasing quality films in unique and innovative ways. THINKFilm operates in various media throughout the US and Canada including theatrical films, all forms of television and the home video/DVD market. The Company releases include Gus Van Sant’s Gerry, the Academy Award -nominated Spellbound, The Dangerous Life of Altar Boys (produced by Jodie Foster) and The Gospel of John. Recent acquisitions include Sundance Grand Prize Winner Primer, Clement Virgo’s Lie with Me and Jonathan Nossiter’s Cannes competition entry Mondovino. |
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New Line Home Entertainment distributes New Line Cinema and Fine Line Features theatrical films on DVD and VHS, including the premium DVD brand infinifilm™. The Company also distributes feature films and non-theatrical programs acquired or produced by New Line Home Entertainment and New Line Television. Founded in 1967, New Line Cinema is the leading independent producer and distributor of theatrical films. It licenses its programming to ancillary markets, including cable and broadcast television, as well as in all international markets. New Line Cinema is a Time Warner Company. |
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For more information about Festival Express, visit www.festivalexpress.com. To download Festival Express DVD and VHS box images and production artwork, visit New Line’s web site at www.moviepublicity.com. Requests can also be e-mailed to Chris Reichert at creichert@mprm.com or faxed to (323) 939-7211. |
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CONTACT Jennifer Sandler New Line Home Entertainment (310) 967-6992 jennifer.sandler@newline.com Chris Reichert New Line Home Entertainment (323) 939-7211 creichert@mprm.com |
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