Reel.com Snags Exclusive Online Rights To First-Time Filmmakers

Reel.com, the premier online destination for film-related content and commerce, today announced a partnership with Australian entertainment company Tribe and L.A.-based producer/distributor The Asylum to sell ""First Rites"" titles on its site. Reel.com has secured the exclusive sell-through rights for the first series of 10 original and uncompromising independent films. Additionally, Reel.com will stream clips of the films as well as interview footage with the first-time filmmakers. In securing these exclusive online rights, Reel.com joins forces with parent Hollywood Video, who has exclusive ""brick-and-mortar"" rights to the same collection.The ""First Rites"" program is designed as a monthly film festival for home viewing. First Rites was pioneered by Tribe in Australia in late 1999, and brought to the United States through Los Angeles-based producer and distributor The Asylum. First Rites can be rented at 750 Hollywood Video stores nationwide. Initial offerings from First Rites include a variety of film genres from a satire of television staring Alan Thicke and all of Frank Zappa's children, to a mockumentary about a group of fashion models written and directed by model Tamara Olson. Titles are: ""Fashionably L.A.,"" ""Criminal,"" ""Anarchy TV,"" ""Dead Pet,"" ""Fishing with Gandhi,"" ""Green,"" ""Social Intercourse,"" ""It's All Good,"" ""Chicks, Man,"" and ""Mr. Vincent.""""Reel.com is proud to provide an immediate online audience of movie lovers for these first-time filmmakers, and our participation underscores our commitment to independent film,"" said Harry Bernstein, Vice President of Corporate Development at Reel.com. ""We applaud the creators of the First Rites program for developing an innovative way to provide these young directors with a large audience of viewers. We believe that the 1.5 million unique movie lovers who visit Reel.com each month will enjoy learning about and watching the movies produced by these emerging talents.""""We are thrilled to have an online distribution arm for our program with a site that is praised not only for its expert movie information but also for its excellent commerce capabilities,"" said Milt Barlow, CEO of Tribe. ""The information-based nature of Reel.com and its streaming capabilities create an ideal environment for showcasing the innovative films represented in our program.""One filmmaker will be discovered during the 2000 Sundance Film Festival and sign his/her film for a summer release through the First Rites program. Filmmakers are encouraged to drop screening cassettes at the First Rites area of the Interactive Lounge at 427 Main Street, Park City, from 9 a.m. until 11 a.m. each morning through January 27. Tapes will be screened during the week and announced on January 29.About TribeTribe is a multi-faceted entertainment company based in Sydney, Australia that develops and distributes unique, cutting-edge properties in film, video, television, music, and interactive software partnered with a substantial online presence.About The AsylumThe Asylum was founded in 1998 by former Village Roadshow Pictures executives Sherri Strain and David Rimawi, and award-winning filmmaker David Michael Latt to produce and distribute films for the MTV generation - young, hip and stylish.About Reel.com, Inc.Reel.com (http://www.reel.com and AOL Keyword: REEL) is a premiere destination for film-related content and commerce. Through its site, Reel.com provides consumers with an entertaining environment in which they can access a wide variety of film-related information as well as purchase a broad range of films. Reel.com was named the ""Best Place to Buy Videos"" by Yahoo Internet Life magazine in 1998 and 1999, ""The Best Consumer Site"" by the Video Software Dealers Association, and one of the top ten e-commerce brands according to Opinion Research International. Reel.com also won the PC Magazine 1999 VIP award in the video category. Reel.com is a subsidiary of Hollywood Entertainment, Corp. (NASDAQ: HLYW), dba Hollywood Video, the second largest video store chain in the United States, with over 1,500 stores.