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Channel NewsAsia's Tsunami Documentary, With Narration By Susan Sarandon, To Be Distributed Worldwide By TWI
12/5/05 4:13 PM

Singapore, 1 December 2005 � Academy Award winner Susan Sarandon has taken time off her busy schedule to provide the narration for a high-end documentary produced by Channel NewsAsia, Orphans, Childless & The Predators.  The programme will be distributed by international distributor TWI under a global programme distribution deal inked today.

The internationally acclaimed actress is well known for her efforts to relieve hunger, promote women�s issues, and help children in need and people with HIV/AIDS.

Ms Sarandon says: "This disaster that happened last December has left scars untold for the tsunami children, yet, their courage and willingness to move on is never lost and is something we must continue to protect. These children are not only at the mercy of the elements, they are also left to be manipulated by the depraved. We need to tell the world the tsunami children's stories and Channel NewsAsia's documentary will help create this awareness".

The documentary that Ms Sarandon has voiced tells the story of efforts to rescue the many orphans from the Asian Tsunami crisis.  The race is on to prevent the children from falling prey to those who are out to exploit them.

Nazar, one of the children in Orphans, Childless & The Predators, recounts his  tragedy: �When I reached the mountain, I held one brother with my right arm, another with my left and my mom in the middle.  But my mom was suddenly swept away by the water. She was screaming for help�but I couldn�t help her�  The water was very cruel.� 

The programme is one of two documentaries to be distributed by TWI.  At a ceremony at the Shangri-La Hotel in Singapore today, Mr Woon Tai Ho, CEO of MediaCorp News, which owns Channel NewsAsia, signed the agreement with Mr Michael Mellor, Senior Vice President, Head, TWI Asia Pacific.

TWI will also be distributing another Asian tsunami documentary produced by Channel NewsAsia, Island of A Thousand Mosques (See annex for details).
 
The landmark deal for Channel NewsAsia was initiated at the recent MIPCOM TV trade show in Cannes, France, where the channel�s Asian tsunami specials attracted overwhelming response.  Behind the creative effort is one of Asia�s most critically acclaimed directors, Mr Faozan Rizal, who worked with Channel NewsAsia�s team to produce a series on Sumatra as the world prepares to observe the anniversary of the tragedy of December 2004.

Ms Ong Hee Yah, Channel NewsAsia�s Managing Director and executive producer of the Aceh tsunami specials, says: �We wanted to tell a story from a different perspective by match-making different talents in our region to do it.  We are very pleased that these two documentaries have made such an impact with international distributors.  It is a direction that we are taking to continue to add value to documentary production in the years to come.�

Ms Leena Singarajah, TWI Vice President, Factual and Entertainment Sales, Asia, adds: �The documentaries go beyond the science of tsunamis, deep into the hearts and minds of the people living on this disaster island.  We are excited to partner a network like Channel NewsAsia which can provide the appropriate perspectives on a project of this nature.  This agreement is part of our drive to work with local producers in Asia to bring their programming to a wider audience around the rest of the world.�

The two documentaries have also been acquired by a Thai TV station during a pre-sales phase at MIPCOM.  Channel NewsAsia will now leverage on TWI�s global distribution networks to create new opportunities and reach new worldwide audiences. 


Issued by Mediacorp News

For more information, please contact:
Yong Chung Jin
Senior Programme Sales Manager
Channel NewsAsia
Tel: (65) 6350 3882
Fax: (65) 6252 6987
E-mail: [email protected]


Leena Singarajah
Vice President
TWI
Tel: 603 9019 2369
Fax: 603 9019 4262
Email: [email protected]

Madeleine Pallas
PR Manager
IMG & TWI
Tel: 44 (0) 208 233 7425
Mob: 44 (0) 7973 326 422
Email: [email protected]


About Channel NewsAsia

Established in March 1999, Channel NewsAsia positions itself as an Asian TV News channel that provides news and information on global developments with Asian perspectives. Channel NewsAsia brings viewers not only the latest news but also the stories behind the headlines.

Based in Singapore, Channel NewsAsia reports from the major Asian and key Western cities, including New York, Washington D.C, London and Moscow.

In September 2000 it launched its second feed, Channel NewsAsia (International). Its satellite footprint stretches from the Middle East, South Asia, Southeast Asia, Northeast
Asia to Australia.  Channel NewsAsia is now viewed in more than 15 million homes and hotels in 20 territories across Asia.  Its programming is Pan-Asian in content and style, going beyond the headlines to analyse key developments. It aims to be the channel of choice for Asian professionals who want objective, balanced information.

Channel NewsAsia is available on-line at www.channelnewsasia.com in English and at www.cna.tv in Chinese, premier resource hubs for professionals and executives working, living and investing in Asia. 

About TWI

TWI is the television, broadcast and new media arm of the IMG, the world�s premier sports marketing agency, which was acquired last year by Forstmann Little. It is the world�s largest independent producer, packager and distributor of sports programming, producing more than 6,000 hours and distributing nearly 9,000 hours of live events and original programming each year, across 200 countries and covering more than 240 sports. TWI�s non sports-programming includes I�d Do Anything (BBC and ESPN), The 2005 Oscars, Manhunt and Battle of the Reality Stars (Bravo), Race to the Altar (NBC), and the BAFTA-award-winning Colour of War documentary series.

TWI has 40 offices worldwide and production centres in London, Hong Kong, New Delhi, New York, Seoul and Sydney. It also represents television rights to many of the world's premier sporting events and has the world�s biggest sports archive with more than 200,000 hours of footage
 
Annex

Island Of A Thousand Mosques � The Aceh Story
(1 x 48 mins)

There is a saying among the Acehnese: "A mosque is God's house and no one can destroy it but God Himself.�

As the tsunami swept across the Indian Ocean last December, the world came to know of many stories of miraculous survivals from the regions ravaged by the waves.  But days later, equally extraordinary stories of mosques unscathed from the devastating waters, in particular, in Aceh, Indonesia began to surface.

Was there really an invisible hand at play that prevented these mosques from destruction?  Or was it simply a case of the mosques being built more sturdily than the other structures in the towns and cities of Aceh?

Filmed by one of the most critically acclaimed Asian directors, Faozan Rizal, this one-hour documentary travels to the different parts of Aceh to visit the mosques still standing there.  Interspersed between these visits will be stories from Acehnese caught in the disaster and how they turned to their mosques in panic for shelter from the advancing tides and later for spiritual comfort in a time of desperate need.  For many, the mosques had became a rallying place to search for missing friends or relatives, a makeshift hospital to treat the injured and a morgue to collect the dead.


Orphans, Childless & The Predators
 (1 x 48 mins)

Children made orphans, parents made childless.

On one single day, tens of thousands of children became orphans when the tsunami unfolded its destructive killing power on 26 December 2004.

Even today, some parents continue to believe that their children will return one day and heartbroken children deny their parents are dead.

This one-hour documentary peels out the stories behind the orphans and childless parents and joins them on a journey to search for their missing loved ones.  It is a journey that one hopes will fill a gaping hole in their heart, a journey to give them closure to months of anguish and heartache.

But in the wake of such deep suffering of the children already struck hard by the disaster, another treacherous territory with predators of another kind emerged: human predators who exploit these vulnerable orphans and turn them into victims of child trafficking, forced labour and even sexual slavery.  Who are these predators and what did the Acehnese locals do to stop the abuse?  Or did they not do anything because they were too shell-shocked?

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