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Acclaimed documentary "Rebirth" acquired by Oscilloscope Labs and Showtime – August 2011 release set

Oscilloscope Laboratories and Showtime Networks Inc. announced today their acquisition of the widely lauded Sundance Film Festival 2011 documentary, REBIRTH, directed by Jim Whitaker. The result of a filmmaking journey into living history, the story of REBIRTH follows the transformation of five people, over the course of 10 years, whose lives were forever altered on September 11, 2001 – and simultaneously tracks, via unprecedented multi-camera time lapse photography, the evolution of the space where the Twin Towers once rose
over lower Manhattan.


Oscilloscope will release REBIRTH in theatres in August 2011. SHOWTIME will broadcast REBIRTH on the 10th anniversary of the events of September 11th.
 

The film as well as other original programming created by the REBIRTH team will eventually be housed at the National September 11 Memorial & Museum located at Ground Zero. All proceeds from REBIRTH will go to the Project Rebirth Center to develop and provide new multi-media tools to aid the therapists, academics, first responders and others working
with people dealing with grief.
 

The project’s founding sponsor is the Aon Foundation. The principal sponsors of the project are OppenheimerFunds and the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation.
 

“We are proud and honored to be associated with this film from my old friend Jim Whitaker who has emerged as an amazing filmmaker,” said David Nevins, President of Entertainment, Showtime Networks Inc. “His skillful telling of the personal journeys of a remarkable group of
people touched by the tragic events of September 11 makes for an extremely powerful and moving film.”


“It’s inspiring for all of us to be able to work with a film that has a unique perspective of how time and healing are connected. Jim and the team have captured something distinctive within the historical context of the events of September 11, yet its emotional truths are completely
universal,” said Oscilloscope Laboratories’ David Fenkel.
 

“I am delighted and grateful to both David Nevins of SHOWTIME and David Fenkel of Oscilloscope and their teams for acquiring REBIRTH. It is especially gratifying to everyone who has worked so hard on the film for so many years that REBIRTH, which offers a very hopeful message, will be released theatrically and televised around the 10th anniversary of September 11th,” stated REBIRTH director and producer Whitaker.
 

“All of us involved in REBIRTH are thrilled to be partnering with Showtime and Oscilloscope for the distribution of the film. Both companies have shown tremendous passion for the project, and their commitment to its optimistic message of healing and recovery will ensure that the film receives the best possible distribution,” said REBIRTH producer David Solomon.
 

Forged through the generous support of hundreds who helped shepherd the epic, ten-year production, REBIRTH is directed by Jim Whitaker and produced by David Solomon and Whitaker, with Danielle Beverly serving as field producer. The director of photography is Tom Lappin and the editors are Kevin Filippini and Brad Fuller. The film’s original score is composed by Academy Award® winner Philip Glass.
 

Whitaker began his career as a documentary filmmaker to raise money for nonprofit organizations. He previously wrote and directed LOADED, an award-winning public service announcement against drinking and driving, in memory of a Georgetown University classmate. Whitaker had been President of Motion Pictures at Imagine Entertainment where he worked
on such notable films as 8 MILE, FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS, AMERICAN GANGSTER and CHANGELING, among many others. He is currently the Chairman and Producer of Whitaker Entertainment at Walt Disney Studios and a producer of the upcoming THE ODD LIFE OF TIMOTHY GREEN from director Peter Hedges.


WME Global’s Liesl Copland and Graham Taylor brokered the sales on behalf of the filmmakers. Foreign sales for REBIRTH are being handled by Shine International.
 

About Oscilloscope Laboratories
Oscilloscope Laboratories is a film production and theatrical distribution entity launched in 2008 by Adam Yauch of Beastie Boys. Yauch modeled the company after the indie record labels he grew up around, selecting and marketing films with the same artistic integrity with which they were made. The company, which is an extension of Yauch’s recording studio of the same name, has an in-house DVD distribution and production arm.

Showtime Networks Inc. (SNI), a wholly-owned subsidiary of CBS Corporation, owns and operates the premium television networks SHOWTIME®, THE MOVIE CHANNEL™ and FLIX®, as well as the multiplex channels SHOWTIME 2™, SHOWTIME® SHOWCASE, SHOWTIME EXTREME®, SHOWTIME BEYOND®, SHOWTIME NEXT®, SHOWTIME WOMEN®, SHOWTIME FAMILY ZONE® and THE MOVIE CHANNEL™ XTRA. SNI also offers SHOWTIME HD™, THE MOVIE CHANNEL™ HD, SHOWTIME ON DEMAND® and THE MOVIE CHANNEL™ ON DEMAND. SNI also manages Smithsonian Networks, a joint venture between SNI and the Smithsonian Institution, which offers Smithsonian Channel™. All SNI feeds provide enhanced sound using Dolby Digital 5.1. SNI markets and distributes sports and entertainment events for exhibition to subscribers on a pay-per-view basis through SHOWTIME PPV®.

Judith Rubin
Judith Rubin
Judith Rubin ([email protected]) is a leading journalist, content marketing specialist and connector in the international attractions industry. She reports on design and technical design, production and project management, industry trends and company culture. From 2005-2020 she ran communications and publications for the Themed Entertainment Association (TEA). In 2013, she was honored with the TEA Service Award. She was development director of IMERSA and publicist for the Large Format Cinema Association, and has contributed to the publications of PLASA, IAAPA and the International Planetarium Society. Judith joined World’s Fair magazine in 1987, which introduced her to the attractions industry. She joined InPark in 2010. Judith earned a BFA from Pratt Institute. She has lived in Detroit, New York, Oakland, and now Saint Louis, where she is active in the local arts community.

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