Presidential Debate Prep for the 99%

NEW YORK, Oct. 4, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Coinciding with the first 2012 Presidential debate, SnagFilms released Heist: Who Stole the American Dream, the first of five Snag the Vote October digital premieres helping to inform the electorate in advance of the election.  Heist, a New York Times critics' pick film, focuses on what the New York Times called the central substantive difference in last night's debate: the appropriate role of government in spurring growth and improving citizens' lives.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20121004/NY87239)

The film screened the day before the first Presidential debate at New York City's Downtown Community Television Center, and included a live Q&A moderated by Eric Kohn of Indiewire that featured the directors (Frances Causey and Donald Goldmacher) and one of the film's experts, David Cay Johnston, Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter formerly of the New York Times.  The entire event was streamed live online via Snag Social Screening™ technology that connects viewers directly with one another and to the filmmakers and relevant experts. The film is now available on demand at SnagFilms through October 14.

Heist is one of more than 100 films featured in Snag the Vote 2012 an unprecedented, free, online film festival running through Election Day, showcasing movies chosen to illuminate 10 key issues defining the 2012 Presidential election. Subsequent premieres are described here.

"If our Presidential candidates receive debate prep notebooks that are 4 inches thick, surely the American voter deserves more than a sound bite for their own preparation," said Rick Allen, CEO of SnagFilms. "Heist is a perfect example of a thought-provoking, compelling movie that brings the election's big issues to life for voters - with great films from noted directors. That's Snag the Vote's unique contribution."

Noting that the economy consistently has polled as the top issue in this election and dominated the first debate, the Heist panel said the film's intention was to investigate the underlying causes of the decline in middle class real wages and America's growing class stratification.  In what the New York Times headlined as "The Clash of Philosophies," the Presidential candidates on Wednesday offered clear differences about the optimal role of government; Heist goes beyond either man, calling for greater government regulation of corporate power. As journalist Johnston opined at the screening, "the role of government is to stop those who want to tilt the playing field... You don't need rules to regulate the saints but to control the sinners."

"Snag the Vote does not advocate for or against these filmmakers' vision, or the others in the series," CEO Allen noted. "We showcase strong arguments so as to catalyze viewers - to provide them with new perspectives for the Presidential election and chances to deepen the national dialogue." The films selected for the Snag the Vote explore the issues that pop in political polls across the country: Economy and Jobs, Health Care, Immigration, the Environment, Foreign Affairs, Energy, National Security, Education, Civil Liberties, and the political process.

About SnagFilms
SnagFilms features free, sponsor-supported, on demand viewing of more than 3,300 award-winning, fiction and non-fiction titles from some of the greatest names in film. SnagFilms' curated collection is viewed on its own site and a digital network of more than 110,000 affiliated sites and webpages worldwide, including partners such as Comcast's Xfinity, Hulu, the Starbucks Digital Network, IMDb, hundreds of non-profits, special interest sites and blogs - and via its applications for tablets, including Apple's iPad (AirPlay-enabled), Amazon's Kindle Fire, Blackberry Playbook and other Android-based tablets; Android smartphones; OTT platforms Roku, Boxee and Western Digital; connected TVs and blu-ray players from Sony, Panasonic, LG and Vizio, and soon to launch on connected TVs and blu-ray players from Samsung.   SnagFilms' titles have been featured on more than 3.5 billion pageviews across its network.  

SnagFilms also offers selected titles via pay video on demand with Comcast, iN Demand (including Time Warner Cable, Cox and Bright House Networks), Verizon's FiOS and DIRECTV, as well as on iTunes, Hulu Plus, Amazon, VUDU, Xbox Live, Google Play, YouTube Movies, and will soon be launching on DISH Network and Samsung Media Hub.  SnagFilms was named one of the fastest growing technology companies in Washington, DC area. Gizmodo has named SnagFilms as a "Best iPad App," OVGuide has twice named SnagFilms a Top Site, and MovieMaker Magazine named SnagFilms to its annual list of "50 Best Websites for Moviemakers." The SnagFilms family also includes Indiewire, for more than 15 years the web's top source of news, reviews and information about independent film - and winner of the 2012 Webby Award as the top film and movie site.

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SOURCE SnagFilms