To Encourage the Next Generation of Female Filmmakers, Lifetime Movie Network (LMN), The Hollywood Reporter, New York Women in Film & Television, William Morris Agency and Women in Film are Launching the LMN Student Filmmaker Competition

Winners' films To Be Screened On LMN And LMN.TV and at the 2007 Hamptons International Film Festival

- Entries to be Judged by Panel of Hollywood's Elite, Including Oscar- Nominated Actress Angela Bassett, Actress and Producer Jennifer Lopez and Producer Lauren Shuler Donner -

NEW YORK, May 15 -- Lifetime Movie Network (LMN), The Hollywood Reporter, New York Women in Film & Television (NYWIFT), William Morris Agency and Women In Film today launched the LMN Student Filmmaker Competition, a national competition designed to encourage and discover the next generation of female filmmakers. Judged by an elite panel of producers, directors, executives and actors from the Hollywood community, the competition will select outstanding short films produced by female film students from across the country.

Judges include: Oscar-nominated actress Angela Bassett; Lauren Shuler Donner, prolific producer of hits such as the "X-Men" movies and "You've Got Mail"; Gale Anne Hurd, producer of box office favorites like "The Terminator" movies; Mimi Leder, veteran director of television series like "ER" and "L.A. Law"; actress and producer Jennifer Lopez; Catherine Olim, PMK/HBH, Inc. publicist; and a representative from each of the partner organizations. The contest is open to all female film students, including executive producers, producers, writers, cinematographers and editors.

In making the announcement, Louise Henry Bryson, Executive Vice President & General Manager, LMN, said, "As the second most popular women's network behind Lifetime Television, LMN is very excited to offer this amazing opportunity to the next class of women filmmakers. In 2005, women comprised 17% of all directors, executive producers, producers, writers, cinematographers and editors working on the top 250 domestic grossing films. This is the same percentage of women employed in these roles in 1998.*Through this competition, we hope to grow that percentage by helping to find the next great women filmmakers who will make important contributions to the Hollywood community."

The first and second place winners will have the opportunity to screen their films at a special program curated by NYWIFT at the 2007 Hamptons International Film Festival in October and honored with a reception afterwards. They will also be invited to attend the 2007 Women in Entertainment Power 100 Breakfast hosted by The Hollywood Reporter and Lifetime Networks in December.

The winning films will be featured on-air on LMN and will be shown in their entirety on LMN's website, http://www.lmn.tv. Additionally, the first and second place winners as well as two runners-up will receive cash prizes and will have the opportunity to meet with representatives of the William Morris Agency.

Paula Parisi, Vice President & Executive Editor, The Hollywood Reporter, said, "Throughout the history of film, there have been women making their mark behind the camera, but not in numbers commensurate with their representation in other areas of the business. We're proud to be part of Lifetime's efforts to bring more talented women to the attention of people with decision-making power."

Terry Lawler, Executive Director, NYWIFT, said "One of New York Women in Film & Television's mandates is to support, encourage and nurture the next generation of directors, producers, writers, executives and below-the-line craftspersons. If NYWIFT and its sister chapters in the U.S. and abroad are going to achieve their goal of equity in the entertainment field, more women have to be trained and skilled in all facets of the industry. We salute LMN and its partners in undertaking this endeavor. It will help bring our goal of equity to fruition."

"The Hamptons International Film Festival is thrilled to showcase the winners of the LMN Student Filmmaker Competition at our 15th edition," said Gianna Chachere, Festival Director. "In conjunction with New York Women in Film & Television, we are celebrating our 5th year of spotlighting female filmmakers and will continue to promote women in the entertainment industry for years to come."

Competition runs through July 16, 2007 -- winners will be announced in October 2007. For more information please go to LMN.tv/studentfilmmakers.

*Source: "Behind-the-Scenes Employment of Women in the Top 250 Films of 2005" Martha M. Lauzen, Ph.D., School of Communication, San Diego State University

About LIFETIME Networks

LIFETIME is the leader in women's television and one of the top-rated basic cable television networks. A diverse, multi-media company, LIFETIME is committed to offering the highest quality entertainment and information programming, and advocating a wide range of issues affecting women and their families. LIFETIME Television, LMN, Lifetime Real Women and Lifetime Digital (including LifetimeTV.com) are part of LIFETIME Entertainment Services, a 50/50 joint venture of The Hearst Corporation and The Walt Disney Company.

About The Hollywood Reporter (http://www.hollywoodreporter.com)

The Hollywood Reporter is a must-read for entertainment's most powerful, influential people, with more than 175,000 key decision makers worldwide relying on the brand that enables success in a continually evolving business and creative environment. The Hollywood Reporter's products include print editions published both daily and weekly, a daily e-mail edition, THR-East, the Neal award-winning Web site, http://www.HollywoodReporter.com, The Hollywood Reporter, Esq., The Hollywood Reporter Europe and Starz The Hollywood Reporter, a weekly half-hour TV news program that focuses on the business of making movies. The Hollywood Reporter also has partnerships with both Reuters and IMDB, which help to facilitate the channeling of information from The Hollywood Reporter to industry players and consumers alike. The Hollywood Reporter is published by Nielsen Business Media.

About New York Women in Film & Television (http://www.nywift.org)

New York Women in Film & Television is the preeminent entertainment industry association for women in New York City. Dedicated to helping women reach the highest levels of achievement in film, television and new media, and promoting equity for women in these industries, NYWIFT produces over fifty innovative programs and special events each year. NYWIFT's 1,600 members are part of a network of forty international women in film organizations, representing more than 10,000 members worldwide.

About the William Morris Agency

Founded in 1898, the William Morris Agency is the leading talent and literary agency in the world, with principal offices in New York, Beverly Hills, Nashville, London, Miami Beach and Shanghai. The Agency represents clients in all segments of the entertainment industry, including Motion Pictures, Television, Music and Personal Appearances, Broadway Theatre and Theatrical Touring, Book Publishing, Commercial Endorsements, Sports Marketing and Corporate Consulting. The William Morris Agency can be found at http://www.wma.com.

SOURCE Lifetime Movie Network
http://LMN.tv/studentfilmmakers http://www.lifetimetv.com http://www.LMN.TV http://www.wma.com http://www.nywift.org http://www.hollywoodreporter.com