Steven Soderbergh's 'THE GIRLFRIEND EXPERIENCE' Starring Sasha Grey to Premiere as a Sneak Preview on HDNet Movies

Steven Soderbergh's 'THE GIRLFRIEND EXPERIENCE' Starring Sasha Grey to Premiere as a Sneak Preview on HDNet Movies

Film to Premiere Wednesday, May 20 at 8:00 p.m. ET - Two Days Prior to its National Theatrical Release

DALLAS, May 18 /PRNewswire/ -- HDNet Movies presents a special Sneak Preview of the movie THE GIRLFRIEND EXPERIENCE, directed by Steven Soderbergh and starring Sasha Grey, Wednesday, May 20 at 8:00 p.m. ET.

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20080313/LATH533LOGO)

Critics are raving about THE GIRLFRIEND EXPERIENCE. "Sasha Grey's performance is totally captivating," says Ross McCammon of ESQUIRE. "...and Soderbergh makes her prettiness devastating." Scott Foundas of LA WEEKLY calls THE GIRLFRIEND EXPERIENCE, "Scintillating. It strongly recalls the Godard films of the 1960s." And, J. Hoberman of the VILLAGE VOICE says, "It's a Hall of Mirrors. Sasha Grey isn't the first porn actress to go straight, but she may be the first to allegorize her own situation."

Academy Award winners Steven Soderbergh directs THE GIRLFRIEND EXPERIENCE, a drama about the fraught relationship between our professional lives and our personal lives in the age of post-crisis capitalism. THE GIRLFRIEND EXPERIENCE stars Sasha Grey, the legendary 21-year-old adult film star making her feature film debut as Chelsea, an upscale Manhattan call girl who provides more than just a sexual encounter; for a price, she'll simulate a complete romantic relationship -- a girlfriend "experience."

Despite a wide variety of happy customers, Chelsea wants to expand her business. Her real boyfriend Chris, a personal trainer at a downtown gym, has come to terms with his girlfriend's level of experience, not to mention the posh apartment they share as a result of her success.

But it's October of 2008 and the faltering U.S. economy is on everyone's lips. One of Chelsea's clients, a Hassidic jeweler, advises her against keeping her savings in diamonds -- "Diamonds have no value. Keep it in gold." Meanwhile, she solicits advice from businesspeople (some of whom are clients) on how to achieve growth in a down market. Chelsea goes so far as to visit a sex connoisseur who runs an influential website and who promises Chelsea a favorable review in exchange for a free sample.

Meanwhile, Chris finds himself at an impasse in his own career: training wealthy hedge fund managers, he's generating plenty of business for the gym, but little of that lucre is coming back to him. Worse, his relationship with Chelsea has cooled -- hardly a girlfriend experience at all. On the heels of a nasty web review from the sex connoisseur, Chelsea meets Philip, a new client from out of town who listens to her as she unloads her career anxieties to him. In Philip, Chelsea finally sees the promise of a real relationship -- a real girlfriend experience -- not just another transaction.

THE GIRLFRIEND EXPERIENCE is the latest installment in the HDNet Movies "Sneak Preview" series. Only HDNet Movies presents exclusive "Sneak Previews" of films to viewers before they premiere in theaters. All Sneak Preview films are free to HDNet Movies subscribers.

HDNet Movies will offer THE GIRLFRIEND EXPERIENCE as a special Sneak Preview on Wednesday, May 20 at 8:00 p.m. ET, with encore presentations at 9:30 p.m. and 11:00 p.m. ET that same evening.

About HDNet

HDNet (www.hd.net, twitter.com/hdnet) is a network that is original, thinks independently and delivers unique content and provocative, authentic programming that appeals to men of all ages, delivered in true high definition.

HDNet is the exclusive, high definition home for popular, original programming, including television's only HD news feature programs "HDNet World Report," and the Emmy Award winning "Dan Rather Reports," featuring legendary journalist Dan Rather. Only HDNet goes beyond the headlines to deliver real news that is redefining the way we look at our world. HDNet News is provocative, sometimes controversial and always relevant - telling the important stories of our time in-depth, with attitude and with independence.

HDNet presents championship sports coverage featuring the best of Mixed Martial Arts through HDNet Fights (www.hdnetfights.com, twitter.com/hdnetfights). HDNet Fights partners with leading MMA promoters including Affliction, DREAM, Sengoku, XFC, M-1, K-1, K-1 Max, MFC, Adrenaline and more. HDNet produces more live Mixed Martial Arts events than any other network and HDNet's "Inside MMA" is the hottest Mixed Martial Arts program on television, giving MMA fans their weekly fix for everything MMA.

HDNet also delivers the world's largest and most diverse concert line-up through the HDNet Concert Series. The HDNet Concert Series features leading artists and bands including Coldplay, Gwen Stefani, John Mayer and more. HDNet also features revealing lifestyle programming featuring "Art Mann Presents," "Vegas Confessions," "Deadline" and "Get Out!" HDNet is also the exclusive high definition home to critically acclaimed and award winning documentaries as part of the InFocus series. "NASA on HDNet" presents all live shuttle launches through 2010.

Only HDNet Movies (www.hdnetmovies.com, twitter.com/hdnetmovies) delivers exclusive Sneak Previews of new movies before they hit theaters. The HDNet Movies Sneak Preview series features top Hollywood stars in critically acclaimed performances including Gwyneth Paltrow, Joaquin Phoenix, Demi Moore, Michael Caine, Tom Hanks, Vera Farmiga, Parker Posey, Brian Cox, Matthew Broderick, Brittany Snow, Eric Bana, John Malkovich, and Emily Blunt.

Upcoming Sneak Previews include "Surveillance" starring Bill Pullman and Julia Ormond.

In addition to being the exclusive home of Sneak Previews, HDNet Movies presents viewers with over one hundred films and an average of twenty-five "HD Premieres" each month. HDNet Movies viewers enjoy the best films from the classics of the 1950s-1970s, to favorite films from the 1980s and 1990s, to recently released theatrical films.

HDNet Movies offers subscribers a premium movie viewing experience in true HD, and more original movies shot entirely in HD than any other network.

Launched in 2001 by Mark Cuban and General Manager Philip Garvin, the HDNet networks are available on AT&T, Bright House Networks, Charter Communications, Comcast, DIRECTV, DISH Network, Insight, Mediacom, Time Warner Cable, Verizon and more than 40 NCTC cable affiliate companies. To receive HDNet information via email simply go to www.hd.net/listpage.

First Call Analyst:
FCMN Contact:

Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20080313/LATH533LOGO
http://photoarchive.ap.org/
PRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.com

Source: HDNet

CONTACT: Colette Carey of HDNet, +1-303-542-5576

Web Site: http://www.hd.net/

---

Profile: International Entertainment