BULLY Loses MPAA Appeal by One Vote, Retains R Rating

BULLY Loses MPAA Appeal by One Vote, Retains R Rating

TWC Considers Leave Of Absence From MPAA

LOS ANGELES, Feb. 23, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Following a hearing this morning, The Weinstein Company (TWC) announced that it has lost an appeal of the R rating given to its forthcoming documentary BULLY by the Motion Picture Association of America. The MPAA's Classification and Rating Administration originally bestowed the R on the basis of some language that is used in the film, an urgent and intimate look at America's bullying crisis by award-winning filmmaker Lee Hirsch.

Although more than half of the appeals board felt that the movie should be rated PG-13, the MPAA rules stipulate that a two-thirds vote is necessary to overturn. The final tally was one vote short of the number needed to reverse the decision.

The appeal board's decision eliminates the potential for BULLY to reach a mass national audience of students through screenings at U.S. middle and high schools, where the film could be used as a tool to stop an epidemic of physical, psychological and emotional violence. BULLY is scheduled for release on March 30, 2012.

TWC Co-Chairman Harvey Weinstein led the appeal and was joined by Alex Libby, one of the bullied children whose experiences are documented in BULLY. The hearing was held at the MPAA's Sherman Oaks screening room, with Motion Picture Consulting LLC's Ethan Noble assisting The Weinstein Company.

Following the decision, Weinstein released the following statement:

As of today, The Weinstein
Company is considering a leave
of absence from the MPAA for
the foreseeable future. We
respect the MPAA and their
process but feel this time it
has just been a bridge too far.

I have been through many of
these appeals, but this one
vote loss is a huge blow to me
personally. Alex Libby gave an
impassioned plea and eloquently
defended the need for kids to
be able to see this movie on
their own, not with their
parents, because that is the
only way to truly make a
change.

With school-age children of my
own, I know this is a crucial
issue and school districts
across the U.S. have responded
in kind. The Cincinnati school
district signed on to bus
40,000 of their students to the
movie - but because the appeals
board retained the R rating,
the school district will have
to cancel those plans.

I personally am going to ask
celebrities and personalities
worldwide, from Lady Gaga (who
has a foundation of her own) to
the Duchess of Cambridge (who
was a victim of bullying and
donated wedding proceeds) to
First Lady Michelle Obama
(whose foundation has reached
out to us as well), to take a
stand with me in eradicating
bullying and getting the youth
into see this movie without
restriction.
Tomorrow morning, BULLY director Lee Hirsch will participate in a Q&A session with students at Fairfax High School in Los Angeles, following a screening of BULLY at 9:00am. Approximately 150 students from grades 9-11 are expected to attend. Said Hirsch, "Tomorrow's screening means even more to me in the wake of the decision by the MPAA today. To say that I am disappointed and distressed would be a grave understatement. It is my great hope that BULLY reaches the audience for whom it was made: kids, the bullied and the bullies and the 80% of kids who can make the most impact by becoming upstanders rather than bystanders. I am gratified that Harvey Weinstein and TWC share my commitment to getting BULLY into America's schools, where it most needs to be seen."

TRAILER - BULLY

http://news.moviefone.com/2012/02/21/bully-trailer-documentary_n_1291229.html?1329847399

SYNOPSIS -BULLY

The U.S. Department of Education's Office for Safe and Drug-Free Schools estimates that over 13 million American kids will be bullied this year, making it the most common form of violence experienced by young people in the nation. In the new documentary BULLY, award-winning filmmaker Lee Hirsch (AMANDLA! A REVOLUTION IN FOUR-PART HARMONY) brings human scale to this startling statistic, offering an intimate, unflinching look at how bullying has touched five kids and their families. Filmed over the course of the 2009/2010 school year, BULLY opens a window onto the pained and often endangered lives of bullied kids, revealing a problem that transcends geographic, racial, ethnic and economic borders. It documents the responses of teachers and administrators to aggressive behaviors that defy "kids will be kids" cliches, and it captures a growing movement among parents and youths to change how bullying is handled in schools, in communities and in society as a whole.

ABOUT THE WEINSTEIN COMPANY

The Weinstein Company (TWC) is a multimedia production and distribution company launched in October 2005 by Bob and Harvey Weinstein, the brothers who founded Miramax Films in 1979. TWC also encompasses Dimension Films, the genre label founded in 1993 by Bob Weinstein, which has released such popular franchises as SCREAM, SPY KIDS and SCARY MOVIE. Together TWC and Dimension Films have released a broad range of mainstream, genre and specialty films that have been commercial and critical successes, including Tom Hooper's THE KING'S SPEECH, winner of four 2011 Academy Awards®, including Best Picture.

Since 2005, TWC and Dimension Films have released such films as GRINDHOUSE; I'M NOT THERE; THE GREAT DEBATERS; VICKY CRISTINA BARCELONA; THE READER; THE ROAD; HALLOWEEN; THE PAT TILLMAN STORY; PIRANHA 3D; INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS; A SINGLE MAN; BLUE VALENTINE; THE COMPANY MEN; MIRAL; SCRE4M; SUBMARINE; DIRTY GIRL; APOLLO 18; OUR IDIOT BROTHER; I DON'T KNOW HOW SHE DOES IT; SARAH'S KEY; and SPY KIDS: ALL THE TIME IN THE WORLD IN 4D. Currently in release are MY WEEK WITH MARILYN; THE ARTIST; THE IRON LADY; CORIOLANUS; W.E.; and UNDEFEATED. Upcoming releases include BULLY and THE INTOUCHABLES. Recently wrapped was SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK, and currently in production is DJANGO UNCHAINED.

TWC is also active in television production, with credits including the Emmy® nominated and Peabody Award winning reality series "Project Runway," the VH1 reality series "Mob Wives," and the critically acclaimed HBO comedy/crime series "The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency," which also received a Peabody Award. The company is currently producing "After The Runway," "Project Runway All Stars" and "Project Accessory." The company currently has 17 series in different stages of development, including "Marco Polo," a scripted historical series about the great explorer; and "The Nanny Diaries," being adapted for ABC by Amy Sherman Palladino ("Gilmore Girls").

SOURCE The Weinstein Company

The Weinstein Company

CONTACT: Sarah Greenberg Roberts, The Weinstein Company, Sarah.GreenbergRoberts@weinsteinco.com, Office: +1-212-590-7899, +1-310-279-3363 or Selena Saldana, The Weinstein Company, Selena.Saldana@weinsteinco.com, Office: +1-212-941-3845, Cell: +1-219-902-3054 or Chris Libby, Chris.libby@ginsberglibby.com, +1-323-633-7290

Web Site: http://www.weinsteinco.com

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