SOUND MEETS VISION IN SUNDANCE CHANNELS OCTOBER SERIES "SONIC CINEMA"

Music Journalist Dimitri Ehrlich Hosts Month-Long Series Showcasing Music Videos, Short Films, Other Works by Independent Artists

NEW YORK, July 19, 2002 -- Sundance Channel explores the creative
intersections of music and film in its month-long series "Sonic Cinema,"
airing as four half-hour programs in October 2002. Hosted by music
journalist and recording artist Dimitri Ehrlich, "Sonic Cinema"
showcases music videos, short films, short documentaries and other works
that illustrate the symbiotic relationship between music and film. The
series also offers viewers a chance to meet the musicians, filmmakers
and other independent artists involved in the creation of musical
images. "Sonic Cinema" airs every Friday night in October at 11:00pm
ET/PT.

The program is presented in a magazine-style format, with host Dimitri
Ehrlich introducing segments and providing background information and
context for viewers. Like the artists whose work is featured in "Sonic
Cinema," Ehrlich is something of a polymath; a widely published music
journalist and author, he is also a singer-songwriter whose most recent
album As Nervous As You Are was released in 2000 by New York-based
independent label Tainted Records. Ehrlichs writing has appeared in
Rolling Stone, New York Times, Vibe, Details, New York, Mademoiselle,
Spin, and many other publications, including Interview Magazine where he
was music editor for five years and is currently music editor-at-large.
As host, Ehrlich brings to "Sonic Cinema" a unique combination of
knowledge, curiosity and passion about music and its fusion with film.

"Sonic Cinema" looks at the ways in which filmmakers and musicians
cross-pollinate, influence and inspire each other, and how these two
arts can add up to something greater than the sum of their parts. The
show ranges across the field of music video to bring viewers an array of
clips -- current, classic and rare ? in which vanguard musical acts and
innovative filmmakers combine talents to take the medium in surprising
directions. Along with videos, "Sonic Cinema" presents any number of
works ? short films, short documentaries, hard-to-classify pieces ?
where music is subject or subtext.

Each episode of "Sonic Cinema" begins with a look at two or more music
videos that are linked together by a common denominator followed by a
segment in which a filmmaker introduces a rarely seen piece that has
inspired, influenced or otherwise affected him or her. Another segment
called "Meet" profiles various artists who bridge the worlds of music
and film, an ever-expanding community that can include a band that is
scoring a film; a filmmaker who uses music to add layers of meaning to a
scene; or a music supervisor who can name, say, every garage rock band
that ever saw the inside of a recording studio. Finally, in a segment
titled "I Made It Myself," musicians discuss what happens when they put
down their instruments and go behind the camera to make their own short
films, videos, EPKs and other works; the musician then presents one of
his or her filmed pieces.

Episode 1 of "Sonic Cinema" airs October 4th at 11:00pm. Highlights
include:

o A double play of videos directed by professional photographers The
Snorri Brothers and Melodie McDaniel illustrates the richness a
photographic aesthetic can bring to music video. Icelandic photographic
duo The Snorri Brothers (who share a middle name but arent actually
related) put thousands of still photographs in rapid motion in their
video for REMs "Daysleeper"; the sped-up images create a hauntingly
staccato effect that complements the mood of REMs song. Melodie
McDaniel, who leapt from fashion photography to music video, invites
viewers to linger on the starkly beautiful black-and-white compositions
that flow through in her video for Jazz Lee Alstons pointed ballad
"Love Never That."

o Filmmaker Jim McKay (Our Song, Girls Town) presents minimalistic 80's
new wave funk band Liquid Liquid's "Cavern." In this video the song
"Cavern" accompanies the 1927 silent film "Seelische Konstruktionen" aka
"Spiritual Constructions" by the German animator Oskar Fischinger. The
base line of "Cavern" was sampled by Grandmaster Flash for "White Lines
(Don't Do It)."

o "Meet Randall Poster" ? A visit with one of independent films
leading music supervisors; Poster has sought out the perfect songs, pop
and otherwise, for an eclectic roster of films that includes Wes
Andersons Rushmore and The Royal Tenenbaums, Alison Macleans Jesus
Son, and Todd Haynes Velvet Goldmine.

Episode 2 of "Sonic Cinema" airs October 11th at 11:00pm. Highlights
include:

oA triple play of music videos by celebrated French director Michel
Gondry, who helmed clips for a whos who of musical innovators
trendsetters?. Combining old-fashioned and new-fangled cinematic
technique with an infectious love of storytelling, Gondry has created a
host of videos that are as delightful as they are innovative. Included
in this episode are "Bachelorette" by Björk, the reigning queen of
alternative dance and electronic music; excerpts from "Star Guitar" a
short film from Come With Us, the acclaimed new album by British
electronica superstars The Chemical Brothers; and excerpts from "Fell in
Love with a Girl," by Detroit rock sensations The White Stripes.

o Filmmaker Tamra Davis (Guncrazy, Billy Madison) shares one of her
all-time favorites: a hilarious Beastie Boys infomercial made to promote
the bands 1998 album Hello Nasty. Davis directed the infomercial,
which ran on late night TV and featured a working phone number for
interested viewers. Davis videography includes everything from
Tone-Locs "Wild Thing" to Sonic Youths "Kool Thing" to Hansons smash
"MmmBop"; this year, the director brought her buoyant pop spirit to teen
idol Britney Spears feature film debut, Crossroads.

o"I Made It Myself: Cory McAbee" ? Musician and filmmaker McAbee
presents "Billy Nayer," an award-winning animated film he made with
music by his group, The Billy Nayer Show. McAbees is the odd and
fertile mind behind the cult space-western musical The American
Astronaut, which screened at the 2001 Sundance Film Festival. He is
also the dapper frontman of The Billy Nayer Show, in which he plays
autoharp.

Under the creative direction of Robert Redford, Sundance Channel brings
television viewers daring and engaging feature films, shorts,
documentaries, world cinema and animation, shown uncut and with no
commercials. Through its original programs, Sundance Channel connects
viewers with filmmakers, the creative process, and the world of
independent film. Launched in 1996, Sundance Channel is a venture
between Robert Redford, Showtime Networks Inc., and Universal Studios.
Sundance Channel operates independently of the non-profit Sundance
Institute and the Sundance Film Festival, but shares the overall
Sundance mission of supporting independent artists and providing them
with wider opportunities to present their work to audiences. Sundance
Channels website address is www.sundancechannel.com.

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Artwork is available upon request.