NEWMARKET FILMS TO RELEASE PETER WEIR’S
THE WAY BACK IN JANUARY 2011
WORLD PREMIERE OF THE WAY BACK AT 2010 TELLURIDE
FILM FESTIVAL
IN CONJUNCTION WITH WEIR TRIBUTE
Los Angeles, CA (September 2nd, 2010) – Nigel Sinclair, CEO and Co-Chairman of Exclusive
Media Group (“Exclusive”) , and Chris Ball, Co-Chairman of Exclusive and President and CoFounder of Newmarket Films (“Newmarket”), jointly announced today that Newmarket will
release six-time Academy Award® nominee Peter Weir’s The Way Back starring Ed Harris
(Pollack, Gone Baby Gone), Jim Sturgess (Across the Universe, The Other Boleyn Girl), Saoirse
Ronan (Atonement, The Lovely Bones), Mark Strong (Sherlock Holmes, Kick Ass) and Colin
Farrell (In Bruges, Crazy Heart) on January 21st 2011 in the US. The Way Back is the first film
produced under the Exclusive Films label to be distributed through Exclusive’s subsidiary,
Newmarket Films. National Geographic Entertainment and Imagenation Abu Dhabi co-produced
the film as part of their joint production agreement. Director Peter Weir will be honoured with a
Tribute at the Telluride Film Festival tomorrow where the film will have its World Premiere.
The Way Back is inspired by Slavomir Rawicz's acclaimed novel The Long Walk: The True Story
of a Trek to Freedom, as well as by other real life accounts. The film chronicles the escape of a
small group of multi-national prisoners from a Siberian gulag in 1940 and their epic journey over
thousands of miles across five hostile countries.
Notes Nigel Sinclair, “We brought Newmarket into the Exclusive Media Group fold to give our
company access to a well respected and established distribution entity. Chris and I, and our
partners at National Geographic are extremely proud to be able to bring Peter Weir’s story to US
audiences.”
Chris Ball added, “The Way Back is one of the great real-life escape stories of our time. Slavomir
Rawicz’ book, which the film is inspired by, has been translated into 25 languages and really
captures the triumph of the human spirit. It’s a story of man’s struggle to survive at any cost, and
the strength to push on when all hope seems lost. Newmarket has a history of working with
exciting directors like Christopher Nolan and Niki Caro and we are very pleased to now be
working with Peter Weir.”
“Peter Weir is one of cinema’s great storytellers, which is fundamentally so important to National
Geographic. We are very proud of our association with Peter Weir and the rest of the filmmakers who have produced this epic adventure movie. Along with our production
partners (Imagenation Abu Dhabi, and Exclusive Media) National Geographic is delighted
that Newmarket shares our vision for the film and we look forward to supporting their release,"
said Daniel Battsek, President, National Geographic Films.
“It’s great that Newmarket will be distributing The Way Back in the U. S.,” said Peter Weir. “We
know we are in good hands.”
Producers are Joni Levin, Peter Weir, Duncan Henderson and Nigel Sinclair. Keith Clarke, John
Ptak, Guy East, Simon Oakes, Tobin Armbrust, Jake Eberts, Edward Borgerding, Mohamed
Khalaf, Adam Leipzig, Scott Rudin and Jonathan Schwartz are Executive Producers.
ABOUT EXCLUSIVE MEDIA GROUP (“EXCLUSIVE”)
Exclusive Media Group is a vertically integrated independent film studio which was founded by
strategic investment group, Cyrte Investments, in May 2008. Exclusive comprises:
1. Three development & production labels –
Exclusive Films, which has Peter Weir’s The Way Back as its first production.
Hammer Films, the iconic brand that already has Let Me In and The Resident
being readied for release.
Spitfire Pictures, which has become the specialist documentary film production
house.
2. US theatrical distributor – Newmarket Films
3. International sales & marketing operations for in-house and third party product –
Exclusive Films International
4. Exclusive Films International also monetizes a significant film library of over 550 film
titles.
Exclusive is run by Co-Chairmen Nigel Sinclair, Guy East and Chris Ball. Sinclair also serves as
Group CEO, East as Chairman of Exclusive Films International and Ball as President of
Newmarket Films. Simon Oakes serves as Vice-Chairman of the Group Board as well as
President and CEO of Hammer. Marc Schipper and Andy Mayson serve on the Executive Board,
as COO and Managing Director/CFO respectively, overseeing the operations, finance and
strategic development of the worldwide group. Exclusive’s strategy has been to build a vertically
integrated global film entertainment group which develops and controls its own intellectual
property and exploits it on a cross-media basis in the digitally converged era. Exclusive has an
active development slate and produces, finances and markets 5-7 high-quality commercial feature
films and documentaries per year under its three production labels. Exclusive actively acquires
further feature films for international distribution via Exclusive Films International, and for US
theatrical distribution via Newmarket Films. The Group also develops and produces projects for
television and digital platforms.
Exclusive continues to actively explore strategic expansion through M&A transactions and joint
ventures – specific focus is on the acquisition of further high-quality film libraries and local
territory distribution.
ABOUT NEWMARKET FILMS (“NEWMARKET”)
Founded in 1994 by William Tyrer and Chris Ball, Newmarket grew from a private film finance
company to one of the preeminent producers and distributors of independent film in the world.
By 1998, having been involved in the financing of over 75 features such as The Usual Suspects,
Jim Jarmusch's Dead Man, and the Wachowski's debut Bound, Tyrer and Ball had built a creative
team and expanded into production. Newmarket's first production was Memento, written and
directed by Christopher Nolan. This film was followed up with such productions and coproductions as The Mexican, Cruel Intentions, The Skulls, Prom Night and The Prestige.
Newmarket's distribution arm, Newmarket Films, was created to theatrically release Memento in
the US in 2000. The company followed up this release with a surprising string of critical and box
office successes that sounds like a roll call of great indie cinema: Donnie Darko, Whale Rider,
Monster, Downfall and The Passion of the Christ. Through its production and distribution
activities, Newmarket built-up a library of well over 250 titles.
In December 2009, Newmarket was acquired by Exclusive Media Group, and Newmarket's US
theatrical releasing business was substantially expanded and recapitalized, leading to the
acquisitions of Creation, Agora and Sundance favorite Hesher.
ABOUT NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC ENTERTAINMENT
National Geographic Entertainment (NGE) combines into a single operating group National
Geographic Films (NGF), National Geographic Cinema Ventures (NGCV), Kids Entertainment
and Music & Radio. In 2005 NGF co-presented the Academy Award-winning “March of the
Penguins.” National Geographic World Films co-presented both the 2004 Oscar-nominated film
“The Story of the Weeping Camel,” which received the Director’s Guild Award for best
documentary and was nominated for an Academy Award, and Lu Chuan’s “Mountain Patrol:
Kekexili.” NGCV released the 3-D concert film “U2 3D” to critical acclaim and set giant-screen
box office records with “Mysteries of Egypt” and “Sea Monsters: A Prehistoric Adventure.” In
2009 NGCV released “Amreeka,” which was nominated for the Best Picture Gotham
Independent Film Award and the Independent Spirit Award. In 2010 NGCV released the
critically praised “Restrepo,” which won the Sundance Film Festival U.S. Documentary Award.
Currently in release is “The Wildest Dream: Conquest of Everest.”
Daniel Battsek is president of NGF, Lisa Truitt is president of NGCV, and Mark Katz is president
of NGCV Distribution.
NGE is part of National Geographic Global Media, bringing together all of National
Geographic’s editorial platforms to streamline collaboration and support the Society’s mission.
Founded in 1888 to “increase and diffuse geographic knowledge,” National Geographic works to
inspire people to care about the planet. It reaches more than 375 million people worldwide each
month through magazines, books, digital media, television, radio, music, film and live events. It
funds over 250 scientific research, exploration and conservation projects each year and supports
an education program promoting geography literacy. For more information, visit
www.nationalgeographic.com.
ABOUT IMAGENATION ABU DHABI
Imagenation Abu Dhabi is a wholly owned subsidiary of Abu Dhabi Media Company,
which launched on 3 September 2008. The company will develop, finance and produce fulllength feature films and digital content for Arabic and global markets.
From its base in Abu Dhabi, the company has established partnerships with high profile,
internationally based producers to develop and produce content for distribution internationally, in
addition to supporting Middle East filmmakers and Arab film production.
Mohamed Khalaf Al-Mazrouei is the chairman of Imagenation Abu Dhabi and Edward
Borgerding is the chief executive officer. Stefan Brunner is the company’s chief financial officer.
On September 10, 2008, Imagenation Abu Dhabi and Participant Media formed a $250 million
fund to finance a slate of feature films. On 11 October 2008 Imagenation Abu Dhabi announced
a $100 million joint venture with National Geographic Films, followed by the announcement of a
$250 million partnership with Hyde Park Entertainment on 2 November 2008. For more
information, visit http://www.imagenationabudhabi.com
ABOUT PETER WEIR
Australian director Peter Weir is one of today’s most celebrated international filmmakers. He first
achieved recognition, as well as an Australian Film Institute award for Best Director, with
“Gallipoli” in 1981. Starring newcomer Mel Gibson as one of two friends who go off to fight in
World War I, it was hailed by international critics and established Weir's reputation outside of
Australia. His reputation was further enhanced quickly thereafter with “The Year of Living
Dangerously”, also staring Gibson, as well as Sigourney Weaver. A romance set against the
backdrop of the toppling of Indonesia's Sukarno regime in 1965, it was screened in competition at
the Cannes Film Festival and proved to be Weir's first international commercial success.
Weir made his first excursion onto American soil with “Witness”, starring Harrison Ford, which
documented a culture clash viewed from the eyes of a wounded Philadelphia cop recovering from
his injuries in a Pennsylvania Amish community. “Witness” was a worldwide success, and it
earned Weir and Ford their first Academy Award Nominations.
Following the Harrison Ford and River Phoenix staring “Mosquito Coast”, Weir directed the
breakout hit “Dead Poets Society”, which earned him his second Oscar nomination for Best
Director, as well as an Oscar nomination for Best Picture, and, a French César for Best Foreign
Film. Weir subsequently went on to direct his own screenplay and independent production of
“Green Card”, the romantic comedy starring Gérard Depardieu and Andie MacDowell, which
won the Golden Globe Award for Best Comedy, as well as an Oscar nomination for Best Original
Screenplay.
After directing “Fearless”, starring Jeff Bridges, Weir helmed the blockbuster hit “The Truman
Show.” Starring Jim Carrey as a man trapped in a TV show about his own artificially constructed
life, the film was a surreal, darkly humorous take on contemporary society's obsession with the
media and celebrity. It was embraced by both critics and audiences worldwide, earning Weir his
third Best Director Oscar nomination, as well as a host of other honors.
Weir took five years to follow up “The Truman Show” with the Napoleonic-era naval epic,
“Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World” in 2003. It was greeted with many
rapturous reviews and ten Academy Award® nominations, including Best Picture, and, yet
another Best Director nod for Weir.
For Further information contact:
Exclusive Contact in Telluride:
Cynthia Swartz
917-213-9850
[email protected]
Exclusive Media Group & Newmarket Films:
Mike Rau/Michael Kupferberg
310-477-4442 / 212-277-7555
[email protected] / [email protected]
National Geographic Entertainment
Ellen Stanley
202-775-6755
[email protected]
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