For Immediate Release revised 9/22/03

Jackson Hole Wildlife Film Festival, Emerging Pictures
& Digiscreen present first national wildlife film fest.

Digital technology allows presentations to local audiences in leading natural history museums and cultural centers in four states

September 19, 2003 - A unique collaboration between the prestigious Jackson Hole Wildlife Film Festival (www.jhfestival.org), which will be held in Jackson Hole, Wyoming between September 22-27, and New York based Emerging Pictures & Montreal based Digiscreen (www.pixnet.com) will allow nature film aficionados in four states to view a selection of films nominated as finalists in this year’s festival competition. Programs will be screened in participating "digital venues" during the same week that the bi-annual festival takes place in Jackson, thereby creating a national presence for what has been, to date, an international event limited to a physical presence in Wyoming.

The films selected are considered to be the world’s best films in the natural history genre created over the past two years. They come from leading production companies like National Geographic Television, independent filmmakers, distribution companies and broadcasters such as PBS, Discovery Communications, NHK, the BBC and others.

Venues participating in this initial outreach effort include the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences, Raleigh, NC, the San Diego Museum of Natural History, San Diego, California, Kalamazoo Michigan’s Kalamazoo Valley Museum, and the Ross Media Arts Center of Lincoln, Nebraska, part of the University of Nebraska. Other sites are in final negotiations to join the ad hoc network as of press time. Emerging Pictures will continue to provide these and other venues with appropriate digital cinema content after the 2003 JH WFF.

Barry Rebo, a founder of Emerging Pictures, stated "I’ve been a frequent participant at the festival over the past decade or so and long realized that the quality of films presented in Jackson Hole are truly exceptional, especially when viewed on a cinema sized screen. As Emerging Pictures is committed to bringing high quality digital cinema systems and appropriate content to a wide variety of cultural centers throughout the nation we’re pleased to be working with the Board of Directors and the JH WFF community to begin this process."

William Grant, chairman of the board of the Jackson Hole Wildlife Film Festival, said, "we are delighted to partner with Barry and Emerging Pictures to extend the reach of the Festival. I hope this initial effort will be the beginning of a continuing cooperation that will grow in the years to come."

The screenings will be made available free of charge to those who wish to attend. Please check web sites for exact schedule at participating venues. Emerging Pictures & Digiscreen are underwriting the cost of the 2003 JH WFF cinema exhibition with the promotional participation by the selected venue partner in each local market.

Since 1991, the Jackson Hole Wildlife Film Festival has grown to be the preeminent international film festival of the natural world. Every two years the Festival attracts from 400 to 700 people to Jackson. Delegates range from beginning filmmakers to high-level executives in the world’s largest natural history production, commissioning and programming companies. The Festival also attracts museum curators, conservation leaders and scientists who share a love for the natural world and an understanding of how important the media is to furthering their message. The Festival’s film competition attracts around 500 entries from every corner of the world.

The Jackson Hole Festival is part of Emerging Pictures pilot program for its own network of digital theaters that are being created inside of existing arts institutions--Emerging Cinemas. The use of digital technologies creates cost efficiencies in distribution and exhibition that will enable Emerging Cinemas outlets to present specialized content such as international film festival presentations, first run independent/international films, high definition production of concerts, operas, live theatres, documentaries, as well as children’s programming and other educational programs.