National Geographic Channel To Premiere Behind-The-Scenes Look At Oscar®-Nominated Film KON-TIKI From The Weinstein Company

Half-Hour Documentary Goes Behind the Scenes of New Film That Brings to Life One of the Most Daring and Dramatic Sea Explorations of Our Time

KON-TIKI: The Incredible True Story Hosted by EXTRA's Maria Menounos Premieres This Friday, May 3, at 7 p.m. ET/PT During Night of Exploration on National Geographic Channel

WASHINGTON, April 30, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- National Geographic Channel (NGC) announced today the world premiere of KON-TIKI: The Incredible True Story, a 30-minute documentary from The Weinstein Company on the making of KON-TIKI, the Oscar®-nominated foreign language film on legendary Norwegian explorer Thor Heyerdal's epic 4,300-mile crossing of the Pacific on a balsa wood raft in 1947. (For more information, go to ngcpr.com and Twitter at @NGC_PR.)

Hosted on camera by EXTRA's Maria Menounos, KON-TIKI: The Incredible True Story will premiere during NGC's "Night of Exploration" this Friday, May 3, at 7 p.m. ET/PT on the heels of the film's limited theatrical release in New York and Los Angeles on April 26, where it netted the top per-screen average of the weekend.

The documentary will go behind-the-scenes of the epic film that brings to life one of the most daring and dramatic sea explorations of our time — lauded as an "epic of awesome achievement" by the New York Observer and "a rip-roaring trip" by the New York Post. The film is directed by Joachim Ronning and Espen Sandberg, written by Petter Skavlan and stars Pal Hagen.

Shot in open waters in six countries, KON-TIKI tells the incredible true story of Heyerdahl's expedition from Peru to Polynesia on a primitive balsa wood raft in an effort to prove that it was possible for South Americans to settle in Polynesia in pre-Columbian times. The journey changed the way we understand cultural migration today.

KON-TIKI: The Incredible True Story includes interviews with Hagen, Sandberg and Skavlan, among others. On the expedition, Ronning says, "Everybody believed that they were going to die out there." Adds Skavlan about Heyerdal, "A man who has such great inner power that he can talk men into joining him on a raft across the Pacific — you wanna make a film about that man."

NGC's "Night of Exploration" celebrates the mavericks and pioneers who dare to delve into strange lands and fascinating cultures, making groundbreaking discoveries that make a difference. A weekly tribute that airs every Friday, NGC captures the stories from the most evocative and unforgettable expeditions.

For more information, visit www.natgeotv.com.

ABOUT NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC CHANNEL
Based at the National Geographic Society headquarters in Washington, D.C., the National Geographic Channels US are a joint venture between National Geographic and Fox Cable Networks. The Channels contribute to the National Geographic Society's commitment to exploration, conservation and education with smart, innovative programming and profits that directly support its mission. Launched in January 2001, National Geographic Channel (NGC) celebrated its fifth anniversary with the debut of NGC HD. In 2010, the wildlife and natural history cable channel Nat Geo WILD was launched, and in 2011, the Spanish-language network Nat Geo Mundo was unveiled. The Channels have carriage with all of the nation's major cable, telco and satellite television providers, with NGC currently available in 84 million U.S. homes. Globally, National Geographic Channel is available in 440 million homes in 171 countries and 38 languages. For more information, visit www.natgeotv.com.

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.  TWC releases took home eight 2012 Academy Awards®, the most wins in the studio's history. The tally included Best Picture for Michel Hazanavicius's THE ARTIST and Best Documentary Feature for TJ Martin and Dan Lindsay's UNDEFEATED. THE ARTIST brought TWC its second consecutive Best Picture statuette following the 2011 win for Tom Hooper's THE KING'S SPEECH.

Since 2005, TWC and Dimension Films have released such films as GRINDHOUSE; 1408; 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; SPY KIDS: ALL THE TIME IN THE WORLD IN 4D; MY WEEK WITH MARILYN; THE IRON LADY; W.E.; CORIOLANUS; UNDEFEATED; THE ARTIST; BULLY; THE INTOUCHABLES; LAWLESS; and KILLING THEM SOFTLY. Currently in release are THE MASTER, SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK, DJANGO UNCHAINED, QUARTET, ESCAPE FROM PLANET EARTH, DARK SKIES THE SAPPHIRES, SCARY MOVIE 5 and KON-TIKI. Upcoming releases include POPULAIRE, UNFINISHED SONG and FRUITVALE STATION.

TWC is active in television production, led by former Miramax Films President of Production Meryl Poster. TWC is the studio behind such hit television series as the Emmy® nominated and Peabody Award winning reality series PROJECT RUNWAY and its spin-off series PROJECT RUNWAY ALL STARS and PROJECT ACCESSORY; the VH1 reality series MOB WIVES and its spin-off series MOB WIVES CHICAGO and BIG ANG; and the critically acclaimed scripted HBO comedy/crime series THE NO. 1 LADIES' DETECTIVE AGENCY which also received a Peabody Award. The company is in production on the upcoming TLC series WELCOME TO MYRTLE MANOR, the A&E series RODEO QUEENS, and the Lifetime reality competition show SUPERMARKET SUPERSTAR hosted by Stacy Keibler.  Among TWC's other projects in development for television are the martial-arts epic MARCO POLO for Starz, an untitled private eye procedural for FX, and THE NANNY DIARIES developed by ABC with a pilot by Amy Sherman Palladino.

SOURCE National Geographic Channel