RHI ORIGINAL MINISERIES aNSWERED BY FIRE MAKES ITS U.S. PREMIERE ON ION TELEVISION SEPTEMBER 2
Four-Hour Television Event Inspired by True Political Turmoil in East Timor
Second of 12 RHI Originals to Debut on ION Television
(New York, NY) � RHI Entertainment, the global leader in the production and distribution of groundbreaking movies and miniseries for television, announced today that Answered By Fire, a four-hour miniseries event, will make its U.S. premiere on the RHI Movie Weekend on ION, Sunday, September 2 (7/6c). Airing all in one night, the miniseries features American Film Institute and Film Critics Circle Award winner David Wenham (Getting Square, Lord of the Rings, Van Helsing), Isabelle Blais (Human Trafficking, The Barbarian Invasions, Confessions of a Dangerous Mind) and newcomer Alex Tilman, who is a native of East Timor and lived there for many of the tumultuous years highlighted in the film.
Answered By Fire is inspired by the recent and horrifying true events in East Timor. Two police officers with the United Nations Mission, Australian Mark Waldman (Wenham) and Canadian Julie Fortin (Blais), step unprepared into the eye of a profound political storm--a referendum designed to finally free East Timor from oppression. But in its wake, the country is plunged into lawlessness and set ablaze by militia, forcing the pair of freedom fighters to evacuate. Once home, haunted by guilt, Mark and Julie decide to return to East Timor, and out of the ashes of revolt, seek justice for a people they vowed to protect.
Answered By Fire was primarily filmed in Queensland, Australia, where a Timorese town of 2,000 � 3,000 inhabitants was reproduced. The UN compound built for the production is an exact replica of the building that the UN Mission used in East Timor. Establishing shots of East Timor were filmed on-location. The miniseries is directed by Jessica Hobbs (Love My Way, So Close to Home) and executive produced by Michael Prupas (Human Trafficking, Murder in the Hamptons), Barbara Samuels (Black Hourbour, North of 60) and Roger Simpson (The Nostradamus Kid, Something In the Air).
"We're pleased to debut Answered By Fire to U.S. audiences as the second original to air as part of RHI Movie Weekend on ION," said Robert Halmi, Jr., President and CEO of RHI Entertainment. "We achieved great success with our first original, Killer Wave, and look forward to even greater ratings successes with our upcoming titles."
"After a successful debut with Killer Wave in August, we're pleased to bring this next original television event to our ION Television network viewers," said Brandon Burgess, CEO of ION Media Networks. "Through our relationship with RHI Entertainment, we are committed to delivering a consistent, high quality line-up of exciting and engaging weekend family TV events on the ION Television Network."
Last fall, RHI Entertainment and ION Media Networks announced a new partnership, a prime-time destination called RHI Movie Weekend, whereby RHI would serve as the exclusive television programming supplier on Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights for an initial two-year period. The relationship kicked off the weekend of June 29th, with a digitally re-mastered edition of the critically acclaimed Lonesome Dove, which aired on ION Television on four consecutive Saturday nights. Killer Wave, the first original production airing on RHI Movie Weekend on August 5th, generated the highest delivery of key demographics of RHI content since its start in June with over one million viewers. It averaged 362,000 household impressions in the adult 25-54 category and 584,000 household impressions in the adult 35-64 category. RHI expects to debut four additional original movie premieres on ION this year.
About RHI Entertainment
RHI Entertainment, LLC, is the global leader in the production and distribution of groundbreaking miniseries and movies for television. Since the company's inception, under the guidance of Robert Halmi, Sr. and Robert Halmi, Jr., RHI has produced and distributed over 4,000 hours of quality television programming, received more than 100 Emmy� Awards, and outperformed the competition annually in view ratings. Currently, RHI provides 40-60 new television movies and miniseries a year to networks worldwide.
About ION Media Networks
ION Media Networks, Inc. owns and operates the nation's largest broadcast television station and ION Television, reaching over 93 million U.S. television households via its nationwide broadcast television, cable and satellite distribution systems. ION Television currently features popular TV series and movies from the award-winning libraries of Warner Bros., Sony Pictures Television, and CBS Television, among others. ION Media has also partnered with RHI Entertainment, which owns over 4,000 hours of acclaimed television content, to provide weekend primetime programming beginning in June 2007. Utilizing its digital multicasting capability, the company has launched several digital TV brands, including qubo, a television and multimedia network for children formed in partnership with several leading media and entertainment companies, and ION Life, a television and multimedia network dedicated to health and wellness for consumers and families. For more information, visit www.ionmedia.tv.
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