THINKFilm has acquired North American theatrical and home video rights to TAXI TO THE DARK SIDE, Oscar-nominated filmmaker Alex Gibney's documentary about the U.S. torture practices in Iraq, Afghanistan and Guantanamo Bay. The deal was announced at the 2007 Cannes Film Festival by the company's Head of US Theatrical, Mark Urman, who plans to release the film in exclusive engagements in time for Oscar qualification this year.

The Discovery Channel has secured the broadcast rights to the film in conjunction with this announcement, marking the second project that THINKFilm and Discovery have partnered on, following the acquisition of the award-winning documentary IN THE SHADOW OF THE MOON earlier this year.

TAXI TO THE DARK SIDE, which recently won Best Documentary Feature prize at its premiere at last month's Tribeca Film Festival, examines the death of an Afghan taxi driver at Bagram Air Base from injuries inflicted by U.S. soldiers. In an unflinching look at the Bush administration's policy on torture, filmmaker Alex Gibney takes us from a village in Afghanistan to Guantanamo and straight to the White House.

Of the acquisition, Gibney says, "I am thrilled with the team at THINKFilm. Their extraordinary skill as distributors, their commitment to the film and their plans for its release make me confident that the film will have a powerful impact on American viewers who need to know what is being done in our name and how our fundamental values are being corrupted. THINKFilm understands that TAXI is not about left and right; it is about right and wrong."

Urman adds, "Alex's film is exceptional, not only for what he says, but also for how he says it. He is a terrific filmmaker who has used every resource at his disposal to create a film that is much more than current events. This is cinema!"

TAXI TO THE DARK SIDE was written, produced and directed by Alex Gibney, produced by Eva Omer and Susannah Shipman, executive produced by Don Glascoff, Robert Johnson, Sidney Blumenthal, Jedd Wider and Todd Wider, with original music by Ivor Guest, cinematography by Maryse Alberti and editing by Sloane Klevin. In 2005, Gibney's documentary on corporate scandals, "Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room," was nominated for Best Documentary Feature at the 2006 Academy Awards.

The deal was negotiated for THINKFilm by Urman, Randy Manis, THINKFilm Executive Vice President of Acquisitions and Business Affairs, and Ben Stambler, THINKFilm Director of Acqusitions, and Cinetic Media on behalf of the filmmakers.

About THINKFilm
THINKFilm, a privately held production and distribution company with offices in New York and Toronto, recently ushered in a new era after being bought by film financier and producer David Bergstein, who is now the company's Chairman. Boasting five Academy Award nominations in as many years, with the 2007 "Best Actor" nomination for Ryan Gosling in HALF NELSON (www.thinkfilmhighlights.com), and a win for the documentary BORN INTO BROTHELS in 2005, THINKFilm's current releases include: David Wain's THE TEN starring Paul Rudd, Jessica Alba and Winona Ryder on August 3rd; Ethan Hawke's THE HOTTEST STATE on August 24th; the 2007 Sundance prize-winner IN THE SHADOW OF THE MOON about the history of the Apollo missions to the moon on September 7th, and Tony Kaye's LAKE OF FIRE on October 3rd. For more information, please visit www.thinkfilmcompany.com.

Contact for the film:
Alex Klenert, THINKFilm, (212) 444-7900, aklenert@thinkfilmcompany.com
Tom Piechura, 42West, (212) 277-7555, tom.piechura@42west.net