LIONSGATE JOINS SCRIBD, DONORSCHOOSE.ORG, AND SCHOLASTIC, FOR THE HUNGER GAMES NATIONAL LITERACY MONTH CAMPAIGN

SANTA MONICA, Calif., Sept. 1, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- This National Literacy Month, LIONSGATE® (NYSE: LGF), in cooperation with Scholastic and Scribd, is thrilled to announce that new fans of The Hunger Games can read a never-before-released sample – the entirety of Chapter 2 – from Suzanne Collins' bestselling book. 

Fans can read and share the previously released first chapter along with the exclusively released second chapter of The Hunger Games using a new application built in partnership with Scribd, the world's leading social reading platform. The app enables users to read the chapters from directly within Facebook and share them with their friends on Scribd, Facebook and Twitter.

Both the content and the application are part of Lionsgate, Scholastic and Scribd's efforts to promote reading and books during National Literacy Month. To that end, the three companies have joined with DonorsChoose.org, a non-profit organization that was named one of Fast Company's "Most Innovative Companies," to create a sweepstakes.   Throughout the month of September, any fan that reads The Hunger Games in the Scribd social reader application will be entered in "Read a Chapter, Win a Library" for a chance to win a classroom library of books for one of the public schools served by DonorsChoose.org.

All four companies are supporting the program with their full online weight, including website promotion, social media support including Facebook and Twitter, email blasts, blog posts and in-app featured placement on iPhone and iPad apps.

Said Lionsgate's Chief Marketing Officer Tim Palen of the four way collaboration, "People who read The Hunger Games adopt a must see attitude to the film – the story is so gripping and urgent that fans of the book literally can't wait to see it translated to the big screen.  We are so lucky to have the partners we do at Scholastic, who have recognized from the beginning how momentous the synergy between the book and movie could be.  This is a great joint marketing initiative for the books and the film, and we're very excited that it was made possible in such an innovative way by Scribd.  The fact that we are also able to partner with the ingenious charity DonorsChoose.org to donate an entire library of books to a school is a true honor.  The Hunger Games is an incredibly powerful book- the experience of reading it is exciting enough to turn people of all ages onto books with a new fervor, so the National Literacy Month connection couldn't be more fitting."

Lionsgate is releasing the feature film adaptation of THE HUNGER GAMES on March 23, 2012.

About the film THE HUNGER GAMES

Every year in the ruins of what was once North America, the nation of Panem forces each of its twelve districts to send a teenage boy and girl to compete in the Hunger Games.  Part twisted entertainment, part government intimidation tactic, the Hunger Games are a nationally televised event in which "Tributes" must fight with one another until one survivor remains.

Pitted against highly-trained Tributes who have prepared for these Games their entire lives, Katniss is forced to rely upon her sharp instincts as well as the mentorship of drunken former victor Haymitch Abernathy.  If she's ever to return home to District 12, Katniss must make impossible choices in the arena that weigh survival against humanity and life against love.

THE HUNGER GAMES is directed by Gary Ross, and produced by Nina Jacobson's Color Force in tandem with producer Jon Kilik. Suzanne Collins' best-selling novel, from a trilogy that has over 12 million copies in print in the United States alone, has developed a massive global following.  

Lionsgate will release THE HUNGER GAMES on March 23, 2012. 

About Lionsgate 

Lionsgate is a leading global entertainment company with a strong and diversified presence in motion picture production and distribution, television programming and syndication, home entertainment, family entertainment, digital distribution and new channel platforms.  The Company has built a strong television presence in production of prime time cable and broadcast network series, distribution and syndication of programming through Debmar-Mercury and an array of channel assets. Lionsgate currently has 15 shows on more than 10 networks spanning its prime time production, distribution and syndication businesses, including such critically-acclaimed hits as "Mad Men", "Weeds" and "Nurse Jackie" along with  the comedy "Blue Mountain State, " the upcoming drama "Boss" and the syndication successes "Tyler Perry's House Of Payne", its spinoff "Meet The Browns",  the upcoming "For Better or Worse," "The Wendy Williams Show" and "Are We There Yet?".

Its feature film business has generated more than half a billion dollars at the North American box office in the past year, fueled by such successes as THE LINCOLN LAWYER, TYLER PERRY'S MADEA'S BIG HAPPY FAMILY, THE EXPENDABLES, which was #1 at the North American box office for two weeks, THE LAST EXORCISM, TYLER PERRY'S WHY DID I GET MARRIED TOO?, KICK ASS and the critically-acclaimed PRECIOUS, which won two Academy Awards®. The Company's home entertainment business has grown to more than 8% market share and is an industry leader in box office-to-DVD and box office-to-VOD revenue conversion rate. Lionsgate handles a prestigious and prolific library of approximately 13,000 motion picture and television titles that is an important source of recurring revenue and serves as the foundation for the growth of the Company's core businesses. The Lionsgate brand remains synonymous with original, daring, quality entertainment in markets around the world.

About Scribd

Scribd is the largest social reading and publishing site in the world with more than 75 million readers each month. We've made it incredibly simple for anyone to share and discover informative, entertaining and original written content on the web and mobile devices. Our mission is to liberate the written word, to connect people and organizations with the information and ideas that matter most to them. Our innovative HTML5 document reader technology has lowered the barriers to publishing by enabling anyone to easily upload and share their work in any file format. Scribd is a venture-backed company based in San Francisco. For more information, please visit http://www.scribd.com/about.

About DonorsChoose.org

Founded in 2000, DonorsChoose.org (www.donorschoose.org) is an online charity that makes it easy for anyone to help students in need.  Public school teachers from every corner of America post classroom requests, from pencils for a poetry writing unit, to violins for a school recital, to microscope slides for a biology class.  Then individuals can browse and fund projects that speak to them. After completing a project, the donor hears back from the classroom they supported in the form of photographs and teacher thank-you letters. To date, 212,000 public and charter school teachers have used the site to secure funding for $86 million in books, art supplies, technology, and other resources that their students need to learn. Through DonorsChoose.org, individuals from all walks of life have helped 5.1 million students.

About Scholastic

Scholastic Corporation (Nasdaq: SCHL) is the world's largest publisher and distributor of children's books and a leader in educational technology and related services and children's media. Scholastic creates quality books, print and technology-based learning materials and programs, magazines, multi-media and other products that help children learn both at school and at home. The Company distributes its products and services worldwide through a variety of channels, including school-based book clubs and book fairs, retail stores, schools, libraries, on-air, and online at www.scholastic.com.

For More Information Contact:

Lionsgate – Film Division
Kate Hubin Piliero
310-255-4064
[email protected]

Lionsgate – Corporate Inquiries
Peter D. Wilkes
310-255-3726
[email protected]

SOURCE Lionsgate