SILVERDOCS FESTIVAL ANNOUNCES EXPANDED 2008 SPONSORSHIP
Comcast, Corporation for Public Broadcasting, The Gazette Among Returning Sponsors
Video Design & Production Sponsor Spirit Creative Celebrates Fifth Year as Sponsor
Newcomers include Gibson Guitar, Toyota, and Entertainment Weekly
Silver Spring, Maryland, June 12, 2008—SILVERDOCS: AFI/Discovery Channel Documentary Festival announces expanded sponsorship for the 2008 Festival, taking place June 16-23, 2008 in the Washington, DC area. The Corporation for Public Broadcasting, the founding sponsor of the concurrent International Documentary Conference returns for a fifth year. New this year are Entertainment Weekly, Gibson Guitar, and Toyota. Comcast renews for the sixth year in the Leadership Media Sponsor category, joined by Entertainment Weekly, which is a Leadership Media Sponsor for the first time. Current TV joins us again as an Official Media Sponsor. Newcomers Lipton Pure Leaf and Design Cuisine come on board this year as Official Providers, and Spirit Creative extends for the fifth year its commitment as the Official Video Design and Production Sponsor. The American University Center for Social Media, Weber Merritt, and the Maryland Film Office return as Featured Sponsors; Latin Concepts, and NextCar Rentals sign on for the first time at that level. Animal Content in Entertainment, a division of the Humane Society of America, has increased their sponsorship and now awards a grant of $25,000 to the ACE Award winner. Jackie’s and Clean Currents have elevated its sponsorship to the Featured level. Clean Currents is helping SILVERDOCS to go green by providing clean, renewable wind power in the form of Renewable Energy Certificates. The Howard Gilman Foundation is sponsoring a screening of Filmmaker Charles Guggenheim’s ROBERT KENNEDY REMEMBERED, including a discussion that examines how that film captured the media moment and defined the candidate.
In addition to helping underwrite the presentation of 108 films, 60 conference panels and workshops by over 1,200 filmmakers, industry executives and special guests at the Festival, sponsors provide strategic goods and services to filmmakers and festival attendees throughout the week. Participation ranges from sponsoring specific film screenings and receptions, to outfitting venues with technology infrastructure and creating event spaces. Sponsors also participate in the national and local promotion of the Festival through traditional and creative promotional efforts.
FESTIVAL SPONSORS
International Documentary Conference Founding Sponsor—Corporation for Public Broadcasting
Leadership Media Sponsors—Comcast and Entertainment Weekly
Official Sponsors—Toyota, Gibson Guitar, and American Airlines
Official Providers—Montgomery County Maryland, Design Cuisine, Lipton PureLeaf, Encore Décor, Downtown Silver Spring, Spirit Creative, and Courtyard by Marriot Silver Spring Downtown
Official Media Sponsors—WAMU 88.5 FM, Washington Life, Current TV, The Gazette, 94.7 The Globe, Maryland Public Television, and Washington City Paper
Featured Sponsors—Celebrate Silver Spring Foundation, The Howard Gilman Foundation, Animal Content in Entertainment, American University Center For Social Media, Latin Concepts, VER: Video Equipment Rentals, Clean Currents, Baseline StudioSystems, Weber Merritt, Jackie’s, NextCar, Brainbox, and the Maryland Film Office
Supporting Sponsors— Akin, Gump, Straus, Hauer, & Feld, LLP; AMTRAK; Media Central, Electric Motion Systems, Writer’s Guild of America, West; ABSOLUT, Heineken, Jim Beam Black, National Beer Wholesalers of America Association, and Barefoot Wine
Affiliate Sponsors— Alpha Cine, Women in Film and Video DC, Mandarin Oriental, American Film Market, Film Your Issue, Old Ebbitt Grill, Reston Limousine, IndieWire, Real Screen, Screen International, Shooting People, IFP (Independent Feature Project), IDA (International Documentary Association), ACSIL (The Association of Commercial Stock Image Licensors), and Dicovery Studio Tracks
Contributing Sponsors—Legacy Concierge, Digital Video Labs, Hilton Hotels, Motion Picture Association of America, Pyramid Atlantic, Montgomery College, and Crowne Plaza Hotels
Community Sponsors— Z Pizza, Macaroni Grill Catering, Nicaro, Panera Bread, Austin Grill, Adega Wine Cellars, Atlantech Online, Drink More Water, Borders, Seattle’s Best, Greater Silver Spring Chamber of Commerce, McGinty’s Public House, and Potbelly Sandwich Works
Cultural Sponsors— Embassy of Australia, Embassy of Brazil, Embassy of Canada, Embassy of Denmark, Embassy of France, Embassy of Germany, Embassy of Isreal, Embassy of Japan, Embassy of Poland, Embassy of Spain, Embassy of Switzerland, Danish Film Institute, German Information Center, Goethe-Institut, Krakow Film Institute, Polish Film Institute, Swedish Film Institute
Official Hotel—Courtyard Marriot; Official Airline—American Airlines; Official Public Relations—Weber Merritt; Official Community Host—Downtown Silver Spring; Official Internet Provider—Atlantech Online
“SILVERDOCS is pleased to welcome back so many of our past sponsors and to welcome those who have graciously come on board to support SILVERDOCS in our mission to engage and inspire film audiences with the best in documentary filmmaking. We are so grateful for everyone’s generosity to help us build SILVERDOCS into the best documentary Festival in the world,” said, Patricia Finneran, Festival Director.
SILVERDOCS is made possible through a unique alliance between the nonprofit American Film Institute and the Discovery Channel. The Festival operates with the support of corporate sponsors, foundations, guilds, embassies, government agencies and individual donors.
About SILVERDOCS
The SILVERDOCS: AFI/Discovery Channel Documentary Festival honors excellence in filmmaking, supports the diverse voices and free expression of independent storytellers and celebrates the power of documentary to improve our understanding of the world. Now in its sixth year, the festival runs June 16-23 at the AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center in the Washington, DC area, and has expanded by two days to meet growing demand. The 2008 Festival features 108 films representing 64 countries to be presented to over 21,000 attendees, including the influential audiences of the nation’s capital and media professionals from around the world. The concurrent five-day SILVERDOCS International Documentary Conference presents thought-provoking presentations and engages a diverse group of over 1,000 filmmakers and industry leaders concerned with the future of non-fiction storytelling, production and distribution. For more information, go to www.SILVERDOCS.com.
About the American Film Institute
AFI is a national institute providing leadership in screen education and the recognition and celebration of excellence in the art of film, television and digital media. Additional information about AFI is available at AFI.com.
About Discovery Communications
Discovery Communications is the world’s number-one nonfiction media company reaching more than 1.5 billion cumulative subscribers in over 170 countries. Discovery empowers people to explore their world and satisfy their curiosity through 100-plus worldwide networks, led by Discovery Channel, TLC, Animal Planet, Science Channel, Planet Green, Investigation Discovery and HD Theater, as well as leading consumer and educational products and services, and a diversified portfolio of digital media services including www.HowStuffWorks.com. Discovery Communications is owned by Discovery Holding Company (NASDAQ: DISCA, DISCB), Advance/Newhouse Communications and John S. Hendricks, Discovery's founder and chairman. For more information, please visit www.discoverycommunications.com.