SnagFilms and the D.C. Office of Motion Picture and Television Development
Announce Winner of Washington’s Best Film Competition

George Washington University Student Film “Released to Life” Named Best Film by D.C.
Mayor Vincent Gray and SnagFilms Founder and Chairman Ted Leonsis

Washington D.C. – January 30, 2012 – SnagFilms and the D.C. Office of Motion
Picture and Television Development announced the winner of Washington’s Best
Film competition today at an event at George Washington University. Student
film “Released for Life,” produced by students attending The Documentary Center
at George Washington University’s School of Media and Public Affairs was named
Best Film by D.C. Mayor Vincent C. Gray and SnagFilms founder and chairman Ted
Leonsis. Steve Knapp, President of George Washington University, was also present
for the award ceremony and screening of the film.

Washington’s first-ever Best Film competition was created to celebrate Washington
D.C.’s talented filmmakers and find original, diverse storytellers who display the
spirit and quality that D.C.-based SnagFilms seeks out in all the films it showcases
on its digital network. Above all, the competition was looking for dynamic stories
focused on improving the world around us. Participating filmmakers had to be
residents of Washington D.C. or have a production company based within the
District.

The winning film, “Released to Life,” tells several powerful stories of people
returning home after incarceration. With the shadow of past convictions continuing
to follow them, these recently released, D.C. based ex-offenders struggle to redefine
themselves in a society that they no longer know.

“This contest is the first of many that will highlight the incredible talent that exists
here in our nation’s capital,” stated Mayor Vincent C. Gray. “I congratulate these
extraordinary young filmmakers on successfully tackling such an important topic
and being a shining example for budding filmmakers all over the District.”

The student filmmakers who produced the film at The Documentary Center of The
George Washington University were: Jason Wilder Evans, Jatryce Jackson, Kripa
Koshy, Yavar Moghimi, Hua “Lily” Qin, Erika Rydberg, Rebecca Taylor and Greg
Upwall. Nina Seavey is director of The Documentary Center.

“SnagFilms joins the Mayor and the D.C. Office of Motion Picture and Television

Development in congratulating these young filmmakers, and The George
Washington University, on having produced such an outstanding and important
film,” stated SnagFilms’ founder and chairman Ted Leonsis. “We are proud to
showcase ‘Released to Life’ on the SnagFilms digital network and shine a light on
such a critical issue for our city and country. We hope the SnagFilms audience will
watch this film, share it with others and be inspired to take action. It’s what we
call ‘filmanthropy,’ and this film is a wonderful example of how ‘filmanthropy’ can
engage our community and change our world.”

The film will debut on Snagfilms.com today, and be available on demand, for free,
worldwide. The film will soon be available on mobile devices via SnagFilms mobile
apps for iPad, Android tablets, Kindle Fire and Android smartphones.

“This is the greatest honor a first time filmmaker could want for their film! Not only
is our film available to everyone online, but also the D.C. mayor and local legislators
will be watching the film and taking the message back with them to City Hall,” said
Yavar Moghimi, who produced the film along with his classmates as part of the
2010 GW Institute for Documentary Filmmaking. “We all went into documentary
filmmaking because of its power to tackle tough social issues and inspire change.
This recognition will help spread the film's ultimate message: that incarcerated
people are transitioning back into society more than ever and we need to make sure
they are prepared for the struggles that await them.”

About SnagFilms
SnagFilms features free, sponsor-supported, on demand viewing of more than 3,000
award-winning, fiction and non-fiction titles from some of the greatest names in
film. SnagFilms’ curated collection is viewed on its own site and a digital network
of more than 110,000 affiliated sites and webpages worldwide, including partners
such as Comcast's XfinityTV.com, Hulu, the Starbucks Digital Network, IMDb, AOL/
Huffington Post, hundreds of non-profits, special interest sites and blogs — and
via its applications for tablets, including Apple’s iPad (AirPlay-enabled), Amazon’s
Kindle Fire, Blackberry Playbook and other Android-based tablets; Android
smartphones; OTT platforms Roku, Boxee; and Western Digital, connected TV and
blu-ray players from Sony and Panasonic, and soon to launch on connected devices
from Samsung and Vizio. SnagFilms’ titles have been featured on more than 3.5
billion pageviews across its network.

SnagFilms also offers selected titles via pay video on demand with Comcast and
FiOS, as well as on iTunes, Hulu Plus, Amazon, YouTube Movies, and will soon be
launching on DIRECTV and digital streaming providers VUDU, Samsung Media
Hub and XBOX Live. SnagFilms was recently named one of the fastest growing
technology companies in Washington, DC area. Gizmodo has named SnagFilms as
a “Best iPad App,” OVGuide has twice named SnagFilms a Top Site, and MovieMaker
Magazine named SnagFilms to its annual list of “50 Best Websites for Moviemakers.”
The SnagFilms family also includes indieWIRE, for more than 15 years the web’s top
source of news, reviews and information about independent film.

About the D.C. Office of Motion Picture and Television Development
The District of Columbia Office of Motion Picture and Television Development is
responsible for initiating and managing programs aimed at generating revenue
and stimulating employment and business opportunities in the District through the
production of film, television, video, photography and other multimedia projects.
Washington, D.C.’s instantly recognizable landmarks, diverse neighborhoods,
cultural amenities, and first-class accommodations are just some of the many
features that make the District of Columbia a venue of choice for motion picture
and television production. A film-friendly city with the resources to accommodate
any size production, Washington, D.C. continues to draw feature and independent
films, television, documentaries, commercials, and other video and multimedia
projects. For more information, contact the Office of Motion Picture and Television
Development at (202) 727-6608, visit us on the web at http://film.dc.gov, join the
D.C. Film community on http://www.facebook.com/FilmDC, or follow us on http://
twitter.com/DCFilmOffice.

Contact
SnagFilms
Gary Hahn
gary@snagfilms.com
202-285-1356

Contact
D.C. Office of Motion Picture and Television Development
Leslie Green
Leslie.green2@dc.gov
202-724-2070