Imagine Entertainment's Ron Howard and Brian Grazer Sign on to Film JAY Z's Budweiser Made in America Festival

NEW YORK, Aug. 28, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Imagine Entertainment partners, Ron Howard and Brian Grazer, have announced that they are filming JAY Z's Budweiser Made in America music festival, September 1-2 in Philadelphia.

Steve Stoute, founder and CEO of Translation will be co-producing alongside Grazer and @radical.media, with the legendary Howard directing.  Along with headlining and curating the festival, JAY Z is also taking on an executive producer role in the film along with Paul Chibe, Anheuser–Busch's U.S. Marketing vice president. 

"This will not be a concert film; it's a reflection of the fabric of what it means to be Made in America – what the festival represents, why JAY is doing it and how he relates to each artist," said Howard.

The two-day festival will feature artists such as Pearl Jam, Run-DMC, Drake, Skrillex, Rick Ross, Miike Snow, Odd Future, and Janelle Monae, all who speak to a new generation of fans.

"The film is going to be born through JAY Z's perspective…how he puts the event together and creates this musical event that defies all genres.   We will hone in on the meaning of the festival and how JAY Z has become a voice and icon for this generation," said Grazer.

Grazer has had previous success with merging music into film with hits such as 8 Mile (in collaboration with Stoute) and with his TV series Friday Night Lights in which music was a central focus.  Producer @radical.media has had a long track record of producing award-winning music films including the Grammy-winning, Concert for George, Metallica: Some Kind of Monster, JAY Z's Fade to Black and the recent Emmy-nominated Paul Simon documentary, Under African Skies.

"Made in America is the soundtrack to pursuing your passion, excelling at your craft, being authentic and embracing cultural diversity.  It's the tapestry that ignites new ideas and brings us all closer together.  That's what we're setting out to accomplish with this festival and film and we're proud to have an iconic American brand like Budweiser as our partner who truly stands for what it means to be Made in America," said producer Steve Stoute.

"Budweiser has a long tradition of being an influencer and enabler in music and pop culture", said Paul Chibe of Anheuser-Busch, "We are proud that the Budweiser Made in America Festival is a vibrant platform for creative expression in both music and film."

The film is set to be released in 2013.

SOURCE Imagine Entertainment