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THINKFilm and Discovery Acquire Taxi Rights
(released 5/24/2007)


THINKFilm has acquired North American theatrical and home video rights to Taxi To The Darkside, Oscar-nominated filmmaker Alex Gibney's documentary about the U.S. torture practices in Iraq, Afghanistan and Guantanamo Bay. The deal was announced at the 2007 Cannes Film Festival by the company's Head of U.S. Theatrical, Mark Urman, who plans to release the film in exclusive engagements in time for Oscar qualification this year.

The Discovery Channel has secured the broadcast rights to the film in conjunction with this announcement, marking the second project that THINKFilm and Discovery have partnered on, following the acquisition of the award-winning documentary In the Shadow of the Moon earlier this year.

Taxi To The Darkside, which recently won Best Documentary Feature prize at its premiere at last month's Tribeca Film Festival, examines the death of an Afghan taxi driver at Bagram Air Base from injuries inflicted by U.S. soldiers. In an unflinching look at the Bush administration's policy on torture, filmmaker Alex Gibney takes us from a village in Afghanistan to Guantanamo and straight to the White House.

Taxi To The Darkside was written, produced and directed by Alex Gibney, produced by Eva Omer and Susannah Shipman, executive produced by Don Glascoff, Robert Johnson, Sidney Blumenthal, Jedd Wider and Todd Wider, with original music by Ivor Guest, cinematography by Maryse Alberti and editing by Sloane Klevin. In 2005, Gibney's documentary on corporate scandals, Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room, was nominated for Best Documentary Feature at the 2006 Academy Awards.

The deal was negotiated for THINKFilm by Urman, Randy Manis, THINKFilm Executive Vice President of Acquisitions and Business Affairs, and Ben Stambler, THINKFilm Director of Acqusitions, and Cinetic Media on behalf of the filmmakers.


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