Chrysler Million Dollar Film Festival Announces Finalists at Standing-Room-Only New York Premiere; Five Filmmakers to Advance to the Feature Film Competition in Los Angeles

    NEW YORK--May 12, 2003--After an intense run of "Extreme Filmmaking" on the streets of New York City, five filmmakers were chosen as finalists in the 2003 Chrysler Million Dollar Film Festival by a blue-ribbon panel of industry professionals. The finalists, Victor Buhler (Los Angeles), Paul Cotter (Chicago), Tanja Mairitsch (Los Angeles), Stephen Marro (New York City) and Andrew Mudge (New York City), will now advance to the next phase of the Chrysler MDFF this summer in Los Angeles where they will compete for the grand prize - a $1,000,000 feature film production deal courtesy of Universal Pictures and Hypnotic.
    The Extreme Filmmaking Competition culminated on May 10, when each of the 10 semi-finalist filmmakers premiered their original Chrysler-branded short film at the Directors Guild of America Theatre in New York. Each filmmaker was charged with seamlessly integrating Chrysler's new 2004 Pacifica sports tourer and/or 2004 Crossfire sports coupe into their films. The five finalists were announced at an Awards Ceremony where Clive Davis' new protege and J Records recording artist, Gavin DeGraw, entertained over 500 guests.
    "The Extreme Filmmaking Competition was wildly exciting and we couldn't have been more pleased with the results," said Bonita Stewart, Director, Chrysler Marketing Communications, DaimlerChrysler. "We are looking forward to the next phase in Los Angeles and eagerly anticipate seeing what this fine set of emerging filmmakers produces."
    "The Extreme Filmmaking Competition is intentionally challenging," said Doug Liman, co-chairman, Hypnotic and director of "The Bourne Identity" and "Swingers." "The pressure of casting, shooting, editing and premiering a quality short film in ten days is a great test of the creativity, resourcefulness, determination and skill set of each filmmaker."
    In the final stage, the Feature Film Competition, the five finalists will live together at the Chrysler House in Los Angeles while they each develop a feature film production package in partnership with an entertainment industry mentor. Working from offices on the Universal Studios lot, the filmmakers enjoy access to props, sets, costumes, soundstages, and other valuable production resources from the Universal Studios Operations Group. The feature film production package includes a working script, proposed cast, shooting schedule, budget, movie poster and a fully produced scene from the script. In September, the finalists travel to Toronto, where they will pitch their projects to a judging panel and the winner will be awarded the $1,000,000 production deal.
    The Chrysler MDFF is a partnership between Chrysler, Hypnotic and Universal Pictures, and is one of the largest branded entertainment campaigns in the auto industry.
    All 10 extreme films will be available for viewing online June 2, 2003 at www.chrysler.com/filmfest.

    About Hypnotic

    Hypnotic is a New York and Los Angeles based branded entertainment company with a proven track record in traditional television and film development, entertainment marketing, and the distribution of short films and animations. The Company is leading the industry in developing brand-based content and marketing programs for the world's most innovative advertisers. Hypnotic offers its brand and agency clients a fully integrated solution, from entertainment strategy and creative development, to the production and distribution of branded content and programs. Investors include Vivendi Universal, Knowledge Universe, Dresdner Kleinwort Wasserstein and Windsor Media.

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

    Visit the Chrysler Million Dollar Film Festival's web site at www.chrysler.com/filmfest.