NEW YORK, Feb. 15, 2012 /PRNewswire-iReach/ -- Video publisher CINELAN announced a partnership today with Cinetic Rights Management (CRM) to support the digital distribution of FOCUS FORWARD - Short Films, Big Ideas, a global documentary initiative conceived by GE and Cinelan. CRM will leverage its extensive relationships across all digital platforms to ensure that FOCUS FORWARD reaches the widest possible worldwide audience.

Launched in collaboration with an ever-expanding team of award-winning documentary filmmakers including Joe Berlinger, Lixin Fan, Liz Garbus, Alex Gibney, Morgan Spurlock, Phil Cox, Barbara Kopple, Nelson George, and Jessica Yu, FOCUS FORWARD is a series of 30 three-minute nonfiction films developed by documentary filmmakers about the incredible human power of ideas and invention.

The 30 documentaries will gradually premiere as curated collections within the programs of the world's most prestigious film festivals, starting in January 2012 at the Sundance Film Festival, followed by an exclusive 60-day window on video sharing site Vimeo. CRM will provide the wide release to audiences through its extensive distribution network of VOD platforms including Comcast, Time Warner, iTunes, Xbox and Amazon, reaching millions of viewers worldwide.

"We are thrilled to contribute our digital distribution expertise to such an original and participative project," said Cinetic Rights Management's CEO Janet Brown. "We strongly connect with the project's goals and are proud to help distribute the work of these talented filmmakers globally."

"CRM's digital distribution relationships are the perfect complement in our effort to deliver these compelling films to audiences worldwide," said Douglas Dicconson, Cinelan's Managing Director, Special Projects. "CRM has a proven track record in supporting emerging independent filmmakers and is a great fit with Focus Forward's goals."

The first five films were revealed during the series' launch at the Sundance Film Festival and are screening at the Berlinale Talent Campus this week. Additional FOCUS FORWARD films will premiere as curated collections at the Tribeca Film Festival, and the International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (IDFA), all strategic partners of the program, and at major festivals in Asia, Australia, North America, Europe, Africa, South America, and the Middle East throughout 2012.

About Cinetic Rights Management
Formed in 2007, CRM is among the pioneers of digital distribution and offers the value of both innovation and experience to filmmakers. As one of the largest and most successful suppliers of digital entertainment content, CRM delivers to all of the leading platforms across North America and Europe through its partnerships with cable, satellite and telco companies, game consoles, online retailers, wireless platforms and hardware manufacturers. CRM has developed expertise strategically exploiting content across paid, free and subscription business models. FilmBuff is a digital entertainment curation service offered by CRM.

About FOCUS FORWARD: Short Films, Big Ideas
GE and CINELAN, the leading publisher of three-minute non-fiction films, have partnered to create a new series of short nonfiction films focused on the incredible human power of ideas and invention. The effort, led by CINELAN co-founders Morgan Spurlock and Karol Martesko-Fenster, and head of special projects Douglas Dicconson, is working with Oscar- and award-winning documentary filmmakers, including Joe Berlinger, Lixin Fan, Liz Garbus, Alex Gibney, Phil Cox, Barbara Kopple, Nelson George, and Jessica Yu, to produce 30 three-minute films that will be featured at prestigious film festivals globally, followed by day-and-date distribution online to millions of viewers. These films will be telling the stories of visionaries such as scientists, engineers, economists, mathematicians, physicists, financiers, and in some cases everyday folks who have facilitated human progress or reshaped our world by their efforts and inventions. Without production oversight of the films, GE aims to have the program provide authentic, enjoyable content, aligned with its own mission to viewers globally. For more information, visit www.focusforwardfilms.com.

About CINELAN
CINELAN, led by CEO and co-founder David Laks, is a filmmaker-driven video publisher dedicated to delivering new audiences and opportunities to documentary filmmakers. CINELANʼs contributors include co-founder Morgan Spurlock and award-winning directors including Steve James, Ross Kauffman, Floyd Webb, and Marilyn Agrelo. For more information, visit www.cinelan.com.

MEDIA CONTACT INFORMATION:

CINETIC RIGHTS MANAGEMENT
Camille Bertrand
(212) 204-7979
camille@crm.cineticmedia.com

CINELAN / FOCUS FORWARD – Short Films, Big Ideas
Falco Ink.
Shannon Treusch
(212) 445-7100
shannontreusch@falcoink.com

Media Contact: Camille Bertrand Cinetic Rights Management, 212 204 7979, press@crm.cineticmedia.com

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SOURCE Cinetic Rights Management

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