Home simultaneously in theaters, online, on TV, DVD
PHYSICAL: Earth documentary released on World Environment Day
By Laurence Lerman -- Video Business, 5/15/2009
MAY 15 | PHYSICAL: On June 5, World Environment Day, Home, a new environmentally aware documentary about the planet Earth, will enjoy what its backers say is the first-ever simultaneous worldwide release of a feature film on all formats in more than 50 countries—in movie theaters, on the Internet, on TV and on DVD and Blu-ray Disc.
In the U.S., the extraordinarily wide-reaching release will be issued on DVD and Blu-ray by 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment and is scheduled to be broadcast on TV at 9 p.m. PST/EST on the National Geographic Channel. The film will be uploaded onto the Internet on the morning of June 5 at www.youtube.com/homeproject. Theatrical screenings have been arranged in several cities across the country, including New York, Boston and Washington D.C.
Co-produced by Elzévir Films and EuropaCorp, a French production company founded by filmmaker Luc Besson, the two-hour film is comprised of all-aerial footage of Earth, highlighting its natural wonders and environmentally challenged areas. Directed by well-known French photographer Yann Arthus-Bertrand and narrated by Glenn Close, Home was shot in high-definition video in some 120 locations in 54 countries over more than seven months.
Fox got on board with the project relatively recently, according to David Bixler, senior VP of acquisitions and production.
“We just got involved in it over the past couple of months,” Bixler said. Studio chairman “Jim Giannopoulos and Luc Besson are friends, and they’re both very passionate about this project.”
In keeping with the environmentally conscious nature of the film, Fox’s DVD and Blu-ray editions will be packaged with appropriately green materials, including soy-based ink and lightweight packaging using 30% recycled paper stock.
Bixler said that Fox’s interest in the release extends beyond the number of units sold.
“We think the DVD expectations are relatively modest,” he said. “The overall impact is about creating awareness about the project. And that’s all good.”
