Chrysler Million Dollar Film Festival Awards Million Dollar Production Deal to Filmmaker Andrew Mudge.

Entertainment Editors/News Editors

TORONTO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 9, 2003

Universal Pictures and Hypnotic Join to Support Year-Long

Competition with Finale in Toronto

The 2003 Chrysler Million Dollar Film Festival celebrated its finale in Toronto last night, naming Andrew Mudge the winner of a $1,000,000 feature film production deal courtesy of the Chrysler brand, Hypnotic and Universal Pictures.

Andrew Mudge's winning feature film project, The P.T. Johansen Field Guide To North American Monsters, takes place after an alleged Sasquatch sighting, when the son of a famed Bigfoot hunter must defend the evidence and the family name against a skeptical 11 year-old Cub Scout with a thirst for the truth.

"I feel honored to have won this award and am immensely grateful to Chrysler, Hypnotic and Universal Pictures for the million dollar production deal," stated filmmaker Andrew Mudge. "This past year has been an educational and exhilarating experience for me, and I look forward to the opportunity to bring my vision to life. I would also like to congratulate the other finalists, all of whom created very high-quality projects."

"The Chrysler Million Dollar Film Festival platform provides aspiring filmmakers with an unprecedented opportunity to learn from the best in the business, while simultaneously creating an alternative, artistic and exciting way to promote our new vehicles, specifically the Chrysler Crossfire and Pacifica," said Bonita Stewart -- Director of Chrysler Brand Communications, DaimlerChrysler. "We're pleased to award Andrew Mudge with the million dollar production deal to bring his winning feature film project to life."

The Chrysler MDFF festivities kicked off in style on September 7 in Toronto, with an exclusive celebratory dinner party for the filmmakers. On September 8 Chrysler, Hypnotic and Universal Pictures collaborated to host "The Pitch and Award Ceremony" -- a standing-room only event where the finalists premiered their scenes and presented their projects to a live audience.

Also on display was the all-new 2004 Chrysler Crossfire, one of the vehicles used by the filmmakers in New York and Los Angeles for the production of their Extreme Film, as well as their Feature Film package. Video installations stationed around the venue featured each filmmaker's qualifying and Extreme Film, as well as the movie poster, production photos and logline of their Feature Film project. Dozens of industry execs and A-list celebrities, including Director/Producer and Hypnotic Vice-Chairman Doug Liman, Val Kilmer, Kim Cattrall, Kate Bosworth and Fran Drescher joined in the festivities while celebrating the competition's completion.

The four other finalists and their Feature Film packages were: Victor Buhler, Los Angeles, CA, Two Harbors; Paul Cotter, Chicago, IL, Caramel; Tanja Mairitsch, Los Angeles, CA, MindCrime; and Stephen Marro, New York, N.Y., Arrested Development.

The five finalist filmmakers were judged on their qualifying short film, their Chrysler branded Extreme Film, and their Feature Film project, which included a working draft of their script, storyboards, a fully-produced scene and a theatrical poster.

"Hypnotic is very excited for Andrew Mudge and the other four finalists, as we know they all have bright futures in Hollywood," said Doug Liman, Hypnotic Co-Founder and director of The Bourne Identity. "It is always a gratifying experience to work with talented up-and-coming filmmakers like these and we were pleased to once again partner with Chrysler on this unique program. For the second year in a row, it was a great success for the Chrysler brand and the program gave established entertainment executives, producers and directors the chance to mentor in a challenging and rewarding manner."

The 2003 judges for the Feature Film competition were: Holly Barrio -- Senior Vice President of Production, Universal Pictures; Doug Liman -- Director (The Bourne Identity, Go, Swingers) and Vice Chairman, Hypnotic, and Bonita Stewart -- Director of Chrysler Brand Communications, DaimlerChrysler.

As one of Hollywood's premiere filmmaking competitions, the Chrysler Million Dollar Film Festival gives aspiring filmmakers the chance to learn and be mentored by top entertainment professionals, while uniting the Chrysler brand with the dynamic world of filmed entertainment.

The 2003 Chrysler MDFF began in January with the submission of over 700 short films. Twenty-five filmmakers were selected to participate in an online competition during which consumers had an opportunity to view and rate the films. From this round, 10 filmmakers traveled to New York City for the Extreme Filmmaking Competition, during which they had to cast, shoot, edit and premiere Chrysler-branded short film in only 10 days. This stage of the competition culminated on May 10, when each of the semi-finalist filmmakers premiered their film at the Directors Guild of America Theater in New York.

The Chrysler Million Dollar Film Festival is a partnership between Chrysler, Hypnotic and Universal Pictures, and is one of the largest branded entertainment campaigns in the auto industry.

About Hypnotic

Hypnotic, a New York and Los Angeles based branded entertainment production company, leverages its relationships in Hollywood to create lucrative opportunities for both filmmakers and Fortune 500 companies alike. The Company nurtures its association with emerging filmmakers to acquire, develop, produce and distribute feature films, episodic series and television properties, commercials, sponsored productions as well as multi-tiered marketing programs for advertisers and brands. The Company's major investors include Vivendi Universal, Knowledge Universe, Dresdner Kleinwort Wasserstein, Windsor Media and Entertainment Media Ventures.

For additional DaimlerChrysler news, visit DaimlerChrysler's Media Services web site at www.media.daimlerchrysler.com.

For more information on the Chrysler Million Dollar Film Festival, visit www.chrysler.com.