FILMAKERS AND CAST OF "HUNTING PARTY" TO DONATE PROFITS FOR SUPPORTING DEMINING EFFORTS IN BOSNIA

VENICE, Italy (September 6,2007) - In a show of collective support for a region still recovering and rebuilding from a destructive war, it was announced that the producers, actors and director of the much talked about film “The Hunting Party” will be donating all profits from the film’s release in former Yugoslavia to charities involved with the demining of the region as well as for the caring of land mine victims.

The announcement was made at the Venice Film Festival yesterday where the film had its World Premiere.

Written and Directed by Richard Shepard, “The Hunting Party” cast includes Richard Gere, Terrence Howard, Jesse Eisenberg, Diane Kruger, Joy Bryant, James Brolin, Ljubomir Kerekes, Kristina Krepela, Dylan Baker and Mark Ivanir.

Producers are Bill Block, Mark Johnson and Scott Kroopf. Executive producers are Paul Hanson, Bo Hyde, Martin Schuermann and Adam Merims.

“Landmines don't discriminate. They kill Bosnians, Serbians and Croatians equally. As a commitment towards the healing of all the people of the former Yugoslavia, with whom we came to love and respect through the months of shooting ‘The Hunting Party,’ we will donate all our profits in the Balkans to the removal of those destructive weapons and the care of those injured by them. May this be a small step towards a genuine transformation of hatred into love and forgiveness,” US actor Richard Gere said.

“The decision to donate the profits from this region is simply the right thing to do.While shooting the film in Croatia we were all educated on the real dangers that still exist in the region – one of the most troubling being the land mines scattered throughout the landscape. The country has come a long way since the war but the remaining dangers need to be eliminated and those who have suffered should be taken care of. To that end, we’re excited for the film’s opening and hope it generates great business in order for the charities to receive the funds they need to carry out their mission,” producer Bill Block said.

SPI is distributing the film in the former Yugoslavia. The Weinstein Company has North American rights and will open the film this weekend in the U.S.

In the film, TV News reporter Simon Hunt (Richard Gere) and cameraman Duck (Terrence Howard) have worked in the world's hottest war zones: from Bosnia to Iraq, from Somalia to El Salvador. Together they have dodged bullets, filed incisive reports and collected Emmy awards. Then one terrible day in a Bosnian village everything changes. During a live broadcast on national television, Simon goes into meltdown. After that his high profile career is finished; Duck gets promoted and the two men part.

Five years later Duck returns to the Bosnian capitol Sarajevo with rookie reporter Benjamin (Jesse Eisenberg) to cover the fifth anniversary of the end of the 1992-1995 Serbian,Montenegrin and Croatian aggressions against Bosnia.

Simon shows up, a ghost from the past, with the promise of a world exclusive. He convinces Duck that he knows the whereabouts of Bosnia’s most wanted war criminal “The Fox”. Armed with only spurious information, Simon, Duck and Benjamin embark on a dark and dangerous mission that takes them deep into hostile territory.

“The Hunting Party” is based on the article "What I Did On My Summer Vacation" by Scott K. Anderson, which was published in Esquire in 2000.