LOS GATOS, Calif., April 13 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Netflix , the world's largest online DVD rental service, and FourBoys Films, the production company of actor-director David Hunt and his wife, Emmy Award-winning actress Patricia Heaton, today announced a promotional agreement through which Netflix has acquired all North American rights to promote the DVD release of their documentary film The Bituminous Coal Queens of Pennsylvania (http://www.coalqueens.com/).
The DVD will be available exclusively to the more than four million Netflix subscribers beginning June 6, 2006. Netflix is committed to providing consumers with access to the widest variety of films available and will merchandise Coal Queens to subscribers with an interest in such projects based on their rental history. For their part, Mr. Hunt and Ms. Heaton will actively promote the film, and its availability through Netflix, in a series of national media appearances.
"Coal Queens is a film that wonderfully relies on the documentary format to celebrate small town America and its values and in the process it makes a genuine connection with its subjects," said Ted Sarandos, chief content officer of Netflix. "Creating a national platform for a film of terrific merit that wouldn't otherwise be broadly seen is a key part of the Netflix creative vision."
The Bituminous Coal Queens of Pennsylvania was produced by Mr. Hunt and Ms. Heaton, directed by Mr. Hunt and Jody Eldred, and stars actress Sara Rush. It documents Rush's return to her roots in southwestern Pennsylvania, where as a 16-year old in 1972 she won the Coal Queen Pageant. The 90-minute picture is filled with colorful local characters and provides a charming and often humorous look at small town America. The town of Carmichaels (population 556) and its vanishing way of life is a far cry from Hollywood. Coal mining has defined this area of the country, instilling a strength and pride in its citizens. The film captures the spirit of the community during the 50th Anniversary celebrations of the Coal Queen Pageant and the King Coal Festival in August of 2003.
"Coal Queens is a project close to our hearts and sharing it with a wide audience is important to us," said Mr. Hunt and Ms. Heaton. "We are excited that Netflix is going to premiere Coal Queens in the U.S and that the film's story will reach people around the country in rural areas like Carmichaels, as well as big cities like New York and Los Angeles."
Utilizing proprietary technology, Netflix is able to target subscribers likely to be interested in little known films like Coal Queens while offering filmmakers a national distribution channel for films and entertainment programming that are otherwise not available to broad audiences.
About FourBoys Films
Other projects under the FourBoys Film (http://www.fourboysfilms.com/) banner include the recently aired TNT movie Engagement Ring, and Amazing Grace, a feature film directed by Michael Apted that is currently in post-production.
About Netflix
Netflix is the world's largest online movie rental service, providing more than four million subscribers access to over 55,000 DVD titles. The company offers a variety of subscription plans, starting at $9.99 a month. There are no due dates, no late fees and no shipping fees. DVDs are delivered for free by the USPS from regional shipping centers located throughout the United States. Netflix can reach more than 90 percent of its subscribers with generally one business-day delivery. Netflix offers personalized movie recommendations to its members and has more than one billion movie ratings. Netflix also allows members to share and recommend movies to one another through its Friends(SM) feature. For more information, visit http://www.netflix.com/.
© 2006 PR Newswire
