Kevin ('Silent Bob') Smith Talks! He's the Host of Encore's Special Evening Dedicated to Him & His Films

Kevin ('Silent Bob') Smith Talks! He's the Host of Encore's Special Evening Dedicated to Him & His Films

Plus Television Premieres of Two Documentaries

'Clerks,' 'Chasing Amy' and Television Premieres of 'An Evening With Kevin Smith' and Encore's 'The Directors'

Followed Next Night With Television Premiere of 'Jersey Girl' on STARZ!

ENGLEWOOD, Colo., March 8 /PRNewswire/ -- On Friday, March 25th, Indie Film favorite Kevin Smith hosts a night dedicated entirely to him that kicks off at 7:00 p.m. (et/pt) with Encore's critically acclaimed award-winning original series "The Directors" followed by "Chasing Amy" (8:00 p.m.), "Clerks" (10:00 p.m.) and the exclusive television premiere of "An Evening With Kevin Smith" (11:35 p.m.) in which he engages in Q&A sessions at various college campuses around the country, spinning humorous Hollywood tales. The next night, STARZ! Saturday Night Premiere presents the television premiere of Smith's latest film Jersey Girl (9:00 p.m.).

Friday, March 25th

"The Directors" (7:00 p.m.) This latest episode features clips from Smith's films "Clerks," "Dogma," "Chasing Amy," "Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back," "Jersey Girl," and "Mallrats." The segment includes extensive exclusive chats with Smith, plus interviews with Ben Affleck, Joey Lauren Adams, Jason Lee, George Carlin, Alanis Morissette, producer Scott Mosier, and Smith's wife, Jennifer Schwalbach Smith.

"Chasing Amy" (8:00 p.m.) A cartoonist (Ben Affleck) falls for a fellow artist, a vivacious lesbian author (Joey Lauren Adams). The film co-stars Jason Lee and Kevin Smith.

"Clerks" (10:00 p.m.) Smith's first film looks at a day in the life of clerks at two adjoining stores. The film introduced the world to the dynamic duo of "Jay and Silent Bob" (Jason Mewes and Kevin Smith) and co-stars Brian O'Halloran.

"An Evening With Kevin Smith" (11:35 p.m.) In this exclusive television premiere, Kevin Smith spins humorous tales to college audiences across the country.

Saturday, March 26th on STARZ! Saturday Night Premiere

"Jersey Girl" (9:00 p.m.) The television premiere of Smith's latest film stars Ben Affleck as a hotshot publicist who loses his wife in childbirth and must quit his job and move back home to New Jersey to raise his little daughter. The film co-stars Liv Tyler, George Carlin, Jason Biggs, and Jennifer Lopez.

Growing up in New Jersey and spending eight years in Catholic school are the two most important things that have influenced Kevin Smith's body of work. "All of my films thus far have been about growing up in Jersey to some degree," says Smith. "Going to Catholic school as a kid definitely inspired Dogma and some of my other films." Smith's teachers in parochial school inspired him to write and act. "I've always enjoyed performing on stage. That's really what directing is ultimately -- writing and performing, because you need to know about acting in order to direct."

During a brief college stint, Smith began to write, hoping to one day work for "Saturday Night Live," never giving filmmaking a second thought. Eventually, he ended up working at a video and convenience store - as a clerk. It was during this time that he saw the Richard Linklater film "Slacker," which influenced him to try his hand at filmmaking. Smith knew he needed to learn as much as he could about filmmaking before venturing onto a film set of his own. He came across an ad in the Village Voice newspaper for a film school in Vancouver offering an eight month course. He left after four months to save the rest of his tuition to put towards his first movie "Clerks." Smith directed the film while still working at the convenience store.

Miramax released the film in 1994, introducing the world to the odd couple of Jay and Silent Bob. "Clerks" became a bonafide hit, winning the Award of Youth and the Mercedes-Benz Award at the Cannes Film Festival, and the Filmmakers Trophy at the Sundance Film Festival.

Although "Clerks" cost Smith just $27,000 to make, he was given $6 million for his next film 'Mallrats" (1994). The film, referred to as a smart "Porky's," did not fare well with the press or with filmgoers. He came back in 1997 with the off-beat romantic comedy "Chasing Amy." The film cost $250,000 and brought in $12 million at the box-office. The film won an Independent Spirit Award for Best Screenplay and Best Supporting Actor as well as numerous other awards.

Next came the controversial "Dogma" (1999), boycotted by the Catholic League for the film's examination of two fallen angels (Ben Affleck and Matt Damon), including an appearance by singer Alanis Morissette as God. Smith returned to pure comedy in 2001 with "Jay and Silent Bob Strike Out." In 2004, Smith directed the romantic comedy "Jersey Girl" starring Ben Affleck, Liv Tyler and Jennifer Lopez.

A few years ago, Smith opened up his own comic book store, Jay and Silent Bob's Secret Stash, in Red Bank, New Jersey, and he has won numerous awards for writing comic books.

Coming up for Smith is "The Passion of the Clerks," a sequel to his first film starring the original cast, and "Fletch Won," a prequel to the popular Chevy Chase films about a bumbling journalist. He's also set to write and produce "The Green Hornet."

Starz Entertainment Group LLC (SEG) is the largest provider of premium movie services in the United States with approximately 167 million pay units. SEG offerings include the Starz Super Pak(R), with up to 13 digital movie channels and more than 750 movies per month, STARZ! HD, Starz On Demand(R), and STARZ! Ticket, the first and only on-demand premium TV subscription service available on the broadband platform. Starz Entertainment Group is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Liberty Media Corporation (NYSE:L)(NYSE:LMCb), www.starz.com.

Contact: Steve Belgard/Starz Entertainment Group (720) 852-5843 steve.belgard@starz.com

Tom Chen/mPRm (323) 933-3399 tchen@mprm.com

Source: Starz Entertainment Group, LLC

CONTACT: Steve Belgard of Starz Entertainment Group, +1-720-852-5843, steve.belgard@starz.com; or Tom Chen of mPRm, +1-323-933-3399, tchen@mprm.com, for Starz Entertainment Group, LLC

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