Cinedigm Acquires All North American Rights to Two Feature Films Produced by James Francos Elysium Bandini Studios

March 3, 2017

Cinedigm Acquires All North American Rights to Two Feature Films Produced by James Francos Elysium Bandini Studios LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Cinedigm Corp. (NASDAQ: CIDM) announced today that the Company has closed an agreement to acquire all North American rights to two feature films produced by James Franco, Jennifer Howell and Vince Jolivettes Elysium Bandini Studios.

Cinedigm has wrapped up a distribution partnership with Elysium Bandini Studios and worldwide sales agency Automatic Entertainment for two feature films.

THE HEYDAY OF THE INSENSITIVE BASTARDS: Produced by Elysium Bandini Studios, in conjunction with UCLAs School of Theater, Film and Television, the feature boasts a stellar A-list ensemble including Franco, Tyler Labine, Kate Mara, Jim Parrack, Natalie Portman, Rico Rodriguez, Abigail Spencer, Amber Tamblyn, Thomas Mann and Kristen Wiig. Written and directed by the students in Francos UCLA graduate filmmaking class, the film was inspired by the short story collection of the same name by author Robert Boswell. THE HEYDAY OF THE INSENSITIVE BASTARDS is comprised of an ambitious series of vignettes ranging from comical and provocative to bittersweet and poignant, as the picture delves into universal themes of memory, longing and loss.

DON QUIXOTE: THE INGENIOUS GENTLEMAN OF LA MANCHA: Produced by Elysium Bandini Studios, in conjunction with USCs School of Cinematic Arts. Based on the epic Cervantes novel, the picture chronicles the wild journey of Don Quixote and his loyal squire, Sancho Panza, as they go tilting at windmills and attempt to bring gentlemanly honor and chivalry back to a sometimes less than courteous world. SNL alum Horatio Sanz stars as Sancho Panza, along with veteran actor Carmen Argenziano as the titular Spanish knight, Don Quixote. Additional players include Franco, Luis Guzman, Vera Cherny and Reinaldo Zavarce. The picture was written and directed by students in Francos USC graduate filmmaking class.

Elysium Bandini Studios marks a philanthropic joint venture between Howells The Art of Elysium charity and Franco and Jolivettes Rabbit Bandini Productions to support the film projects of students and emerging professionals. All proceeds go entirely to The Art of Elysium. A Los Angeles based non-profit, The Art of Elysiums mission is to bring art and creative programs to individuals in need in order to inspire relief, happiness and self-empowerment. The Art of Elysium provides programs for hospitalized youth, special needs education centers, homeless shelters, along with elder care homes and hospice care facilities.

The creative and impactful mission of The Art of Elysium resonates strongly with Cinedigm. We are proud to support these philanthropic efforts and encourage young filmmakers, said Melody Fowler, Cinedigms Executive Director of Acquisitions.

Cinedigm has proven itself a successful and collaborative home for independent film, said Vince Jolivette, Partner and Co-owner of Rabbit Bandini Productions. Given their capabilities and wide distribution reach, we expect Cinedigm will make a strong partner for us on the films.

The amazing thing about Cinedigm acquiring both HEYDAY and DON QUIXOTE is not only are they putting these beautiful films out into the world, they are also supporting the next generation of artists who are committed to using their creative process to give art to everyone. The goal of Elysum Bandini Studios is to empower artists to use their creative voices to create projects that inspire and raise funds to effectively give art programs to hospitalized youth, special need schools, elder care facilities and the homeless community. We believe that art is not a luxury but an absolute necessity and to give the power to the artists is to give the power of creation to the world, said Jennifer Howell, Founder of The Art of Elysium.

The deal was brokered between Michael Lurie and Jeffrey Giles of Automatic Entertainment, on behalf of Elysium Bandini Studios, and Melody Fowler on behalf of Cinedigm.

About Elysium Bandini

Elysium Bandini Studios was founded by James Franco and Vince Jolivette of Rabbit Bandini Productions, and The Art of Elysiums Jennifer Howell. Elysium Bandini Studios is the first fully philanthropic studio where all profits benefit communities and people in need through the healing power of art. The studio cultivates emerging talent, bridges the gap between education and the industry with the support of other talent while giving them the opportunity to serve and give back. The content, art, products ideas and activities created by Elysium Bandini collaborations will be exhibited, distributed and licensed, reinvesting revenues into more art programming. www.ebstudios.org

About Cinedigm

Cinedigm is a leading independent content distributor in the United States, with direct relationships with thousands of physical retail storefronts and digital platforms, including Wal-Mart, Target, iTunes, Netflix, and Amazon, as well as the national Video on Demand platform on cable television.

Additionally, given Cinedigms infrastructure, technology, content and distribution expertise, the Company has rapidly become a leader in the quickly evolving over-the-top digital network business. Cinedigms first channel, DOCURAMA, launched in May 2014, and is currently available on iOS, Roku, Xbox and Samsung, with additional platforms currently being rolled out. Cinedigm launched CONtv, a Comic Con branded channel, on March 3, 2015. The Companys third OTT channel, DOVE CHANNEL, launched on September 15, 2015 and is a digital streaming subscription service targeted to families and kids seeking high quality and family friendly content approved by Dove Foundation.

Cinedigm and Cinedigm Digital Cinema Corp are trademarks of Cinedigm Corp. www.cinedigm.com. [CIDM-F]

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