Chrysler Million Dollar Film Festival to Announce Winner of Filmmaking Competition in Toronto; One Filmmaker Will Receive a $1,000,000 Feature Film Production Deal.

Business Editors & Entertainment Editors

LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 11, 2002

The Chrysler Million Dollar Film Festival will conclude its annual competition with the announcement of the winner of a $1,000,000 feature film production deal courtesy of the Chrysler brand, Hypnotic and Universal Pictures this week, at the same time as the prestigious Toronto International Film Festival. The five finalist filmmakers developed their Feature Film Projects while working with industry mentors on the Universal Studios lot in Los Angeles.

The Feature Film Pitch in Toronto kicks off on September 12th with an invitation-only dinner, followed by an exclusive party co-sponsored with Maxim Magazine at Colony restaurant. Five art installations will feature each filmmaker's qualifying and Extreme Films, storyboards, movie poster, production photos and related materials. The competition continues on September 13th, when Chrysler, Hypnotic and Universal host The Pitch and Awards Ceremony where the finalist filmmakers premiere their feature film trailers and discuss their feature film projects. After the presentation, celebrities, VIPs, Hollywood executives and filmmakers will celebrate the 2002 Chrysler Million Dollar Film Festival winner.

The selection of the Chrysler Million Dollar Film Festival winner is based on the following criteria: the finalists' qualifying films, the Chrysler-branded Extreme Films produced in Cannes, and the Feature Film Projects which include a feature film script, trailer, storyboards and movie poster. These presentations were delivered to a panel of judges on September 5th in Los Angeles, when each filmmaker individually, and behind closed doors, met with the judges. The filmmakers will also present their Projects during The Pitch and Awards Ceremony on September 13th in Toronto.

The judges for the Chrysler Million Dollar Film Festival Feature Film Pitch are: Tim O'Hair, VP Production at Universal Pictures; Glen Williamson, President of Production at Focus Features; Freeman Thomas, Chief Designer at DaimlerChrysler and Doug Liman, Co-Founder of Hypnotic, the producer of the Chrysler Million Dollar Film Festival and director of "The Bourne Identity," "Go!" and "Swingers."

"We are all very excited to see who will emerge as the winner in Toronto," says Doug Liman, Hypnotic Co-Founder and director of "The Bourne Identity." "We are proud of all the filmmakers and have enjoyed this past year working with Chrysler to nurture the next generation of Hollywood directors."

The five filmmakers began the final phase of the competition in July, when they all moved into the Chrysler House, located in Bel Air, Calif. Each filmmaker was given a Chrysler PT Cruiser for the summer as well as an office on the Universal Studios lot, where they created their final Feature Film Project. While there, the group was mentored by some of Hollywood's top creative talents: Brett Ratner's Rat Entertainment, Ben Stiller's Red Hour Productions, Strike Entertainment, Beacon Communications, and Working Title Pictures.

"This competition, which began with over five hundred applicants, has been a great platform for Chrysler to expose the PT Cruiser and new Crossfire to a younger audience. In only a few days, one of these talented filmmakers will become the first Chrysler Million Dollar Film Festival Winner," says Bonita Coleman, Director, Chrysler Marketing Communications, DaimlerChrysler.

The 2002 Chrysler Million Dollar Film Festival began in January at the Sundance Film Festival with the submission of over 500 short films for consideration. Twenty-five filmmakers were selected to present their submissions online, giving the public the opportunity to view and rate the films. From this round, ten contestants were chosen to travel to the Cannes Film Festival to develop and produce a five-minute short film. Each of these "Extreme Films," which were cast, shot, edited and premiered in only ten days, featured a Chrysler vehicle. After a red carpet premiere in Cannes, five finalists were chosen to continue their quest for the prize in Los Angeles.

The five finalists and their feature film packages are:

-- Patrick Daughters (New York, NY) - "Work"

-- Matthew Ehlers (Rochester, NY) - "Vows and Rites"

-- Geoffrey Haley (North Hollywood, CA) - "The Emerald Room"

-- Jeff Wadlow (Los Angeles, CA) - "Living the Lie"

-- Seth Wiley (Los Angeles, CA) - "Rx"

About Hypnotic

Hypnotic is an entertainment production and distribution company that leverages its relationships with emerging filmmakers and leading brands to acquire, develop, produce, market and distribute independent film and television properties. The company has developed relationships with thousands of emerging filmmakers and manages one of the world's largest libraries of short films and animations, which it distributes to domestic and international television, movie theaters, airlines, pay-per-view, video-on-demand and broadband channels. The company's major investors include Vivendi Universal, Knowledge Universe, Dresdner Kleinwort Wasserstein, Windsor Media and Entertainment Media Ventures. Hypnotic maintains offices in New York and Los Angeles and is a division of Enigma Media, Inc. Hypnotic's website is www.hypnotic.com.

On the Internet:

Visit DaimlerChrysler's Media Services web site at www.media.daimlerchrysler.com for additional DaimlerChrysler news.

Visit the Chrysler Million Dollar Film Festival's website at www.chrysler.com.