AMC's New Documentary Analyzes the Politically Charged Controversy over the Movement to Sanitize Films in ''Bleep! Censoring Hollywood''; Premieres April 26 at 10 PM ET/PT.

JERICHO, N.Y. -- Self-appointed movie sanitizers claim they are making films safe for American families. In today's DVD/home video marketplace, several small businesses are buying copies of Hollywood's most popular movies to edit out sex, violence, and foul language. Once "cleansed," they are sold again as so-called "family-friendly" versions --- without the consent of the films' directors or film studios.

A cut here, an edit there --- it's driving Hollywood crazy.

AMC will air a compelling new documentary called BLEEP! CENSORING HOLLYWOOD on April 26 at 10 PM ET/PT, produced by ABC News Productions, that reveals how this controversial movement is rocking the boardrooms at Hollywood studios, the Directors Guild, and home entertainment companies while gaining an increasingly mainstream following among parents who want peace of mind and more control over what their kids watch. In addition, the one-hour documentary will profile major players in the "film sanitizing" business, such as CleanFlicks and ClearPlay, explore the broader debate of censorship vs. artistic freedom in the digital age as well as address the motives and passions of various political and entertainment advocates involved in this ongoing debate.

In a recent ABC News Poll, results showed that 44% of Americans thought movie sanitizing should be allowed and 20% of Americans (approximately 40 million) said they were "very likely" to rent or buy sanitized movies, further illustrating a large market need.

Although for-profit, private companies perform the unauthorized editing, consumers can also do it themselves with specially designed DVD machines equipped with filtering software, which allow the selective removal of offensive material. But when the studio and the director have a proprietary right to cut the film, can an unrelated business or individual function as editor, no matter how passionate the cause?

The stakes are getting higher with a congressional bill at hand. On February 1, 2005, the Senate unanimously passed The Family Entertainment and Copyright Act (Feca) that legalizes movie-filtering technologies, and protects companies that make those devices from copyright infringement lawsuits by film studios. Representative Lamar Smith (R-TX) has since introduced the bill to the House of Representatives. With the vote imminent in the current session, it only remains to be signed by President Bush for passage.

Interviews in the documentary include those at the forefront of the controversy - the businesses distributing the newly sanitized versions and those creating the filtering technology, the Hollywood establishment, and average American families caught in the crossfire. Interviewees include Rep. Lamar Smith (R-Texas), author of Family Movie Act; Jack Valenti, former President of the MPAA; Ray Lines, President, CleanFlicks; Sandy Teraci, President, FamilyFlix; Bill Aho, President, ClearPlay; Academy Award-winning director Steven Soderbergh; Academy Award-nominated director Taylor Hackford; and Directors Guild of America (DGA) President and film director Michael Apted.

BLEEP! CENSORING HOLLYWOOD is the first of a series of original documentaries from AMC and ABC News Productions. The documentary is executive produced by AMC's Jessica Shreeve and Lisa Zeff, Executive Producer & General Manager, ABC News Productions. Alan Goldberg is Senior Producer and Caroline Christopher is Producer.

About AMC

AMC, a division of Rainbow Media's Entertainment Services, which also includes WE: Women's Entertainment and IFC Companies, is a 24-hour, movie-based network, dedicated to the American movie fan. The network, which reaches over 86,000,000 homes, offers a comprehensive library of popular movies and a critically-acclaimed slate of original programming that is a diverse, movie-based mix of original series, documentaries and specials. AMC has garnered many of the industry's highest honors, including 14 Emmy awards. AMC is "TV for movie people."

About ABC News Productions

ABC News Productions is an award-winning leader in providing factual programming for cable channels, international broadcasters and home video with access to the resources of the ABC News division. With over 500 hours of programming already produced, ABCNP's roster of clients comprises the top cable channels, including AMC, Discovery Channel, A&E, Lifetime, the History Channel, TLC, Discovery Health Channel, Discovery Times Channel, Travel Channel, Weather Channel, Court TV, as well as PBS. Over the past several years, programs produced by ABCNP have received scores of awards from the major film and television awards organizations both in the U.S. and internationally. Its programs have also been selected for the permanent collections of major museums of broadcasting. With a staff of more than 50 producers, AP's and editors, the unit is managed by Lisa Zeff, a television veteran with more than 20 years experience in both network and cable.