Comes to DVD October 28th, 2008
Emmy-Nominated Filmmaker Judd Ehrlich’s Documentary About the Relentlessly Ambitious and Endlessly Quirky Founder of the New York City Marathon, Fred Lebow
(New York, NY) — Screen Media will release Judd Ehrlich’s inspirational and propelling documentary Run For Your Life on DVD October 28, 2008. The film will also be in New York City theatres the week prior to the New York City Marathon in honor of race week.
From Emmy-nominated filmmaker Judd Ehrlich comes this remarkable story of how one man ran New York and inspired millions to do the same. Chronicling Fred Lebow’s revolutionary creation of the New York City Marathon, Ehrlich uses archival footage of Lebow himself and couples it with a myriad of exclusive interviews including: Mayor Ed Koch, Manhattan Borough President Percy Sutton; Lebow family members Moshe Katz, Sarah Katz and Mike Lebowitz; New York Times reporters Neil Amdur and George Vescey; original marathoners Norb Sander and Gary Muhrcke (winner of the first NYC Marathon in 1970); and other notable athletes including Bill Rodgers, Alberto Salazar, Grete Waitz, Nina Kuscsik, Frank Shorter and Kathrine Switzer. The film also includes the last known interview with Olympian legend Ted Corbitt.
“As a New Yorker, Fred's story spoke to me,” Ehrlich recalls. “I grew up here and I remember how he transformed the city each year putting on the marathon with glitz and flare. Fred was a showman and, like all performers, there was a side of his persona that few people really knew about.”
Credited as the mastermind behind the New York City Marathon, Fred Lebow is now one of the most influential American icons. He fled his Orthodox home in war-torn Europe and found his calling when he brought together a group of runners for the first NYC Marathon in Central Park. In 1976, Lebow took the race through all five boroughs, uniting a divided city and sparking a worldwide fitness boom. Lebow lived for the NYC Marathon, yet he only ran through the five boroughs once, as the world looked on, in an unforgettable race against the odds.
The film originally premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival to critical and audience acclaim. It finished 6th overall in the audience rankings and was also a favorite of festival co-founder Jane Rosenthal, who described it as “fascinating” in a television appearance alongside co-founder Robert DeNiro.
“Fred ignited what we know as the most popular participatory sport today,” says Mary Wittenberg, president and CEO of the NYRR and director of the NYC Marathon, who attended a screening of Run for Your Life last spring. “He made running part of popular culture.”
“We are releasing the film around the New York City Marathon as homage to Fred and in celebration of today’s runners. Even if you aren’t a runner you can truly enjoy this film and its inspirational story.” said Screen Media Films President, Robert Baruc.
About Judd Ehrlich
Judd Ehrlich was born August 17, 1971 and raised in New York City. He produced and directed Mayor of the West Side, the Emmy-nominated coming-of–age story about a teenager with multiple disabilities. The documentary continues to air on public television stations nationwide, and will through 2009. Ehrlich collaborated on the editing of Ric Burns' epic PBS series, New York, and Macky Alston's Sundance Film Festival award-winner and PBS broadcast, Family Name. He also worked for the acclaimed PBS documentary series POV and edited for CBS News. Ehrlich has created and curated multiple film series around New York City, hosting notables such as Darren Aronofsky, Steve Buscemi, Tony Kushner, Cyndi Lauper, and Willem Dafoe. He teaches documentary filmmaking in high schools and colleges and is a graduate of Vassar College. Ehrlich lives in Brooklyn with his wife and two children.
For more information, see www.fredlebowmovie.com.
About Screen Media
Screen Media Films acquires the rights to high quality, independent feature films for the US and Canada. Screen Media’s theatrical releases include Canvas starring Marcia Gay Harden; Trailer Park Boys from Executive Producer Ivan Reitman; and Bustin’ Down the Door narrated by Edward Norton. Adding to the 2008 theatrical slate will be Lake City starring Sissy Spacek; Rebecca Romijn, Dave Matthews and Troy Garity. Since 2001, Screen Media has released more than 100 titles including Noel, starring Penelope Cruz and Susan Sarandon; Sherrybaby, starring Maggie Gyllenhaal; Kevin Bacon's directorial debut, Loverboy, starring Kyra Sedgwick and Matt Dillon; and Emmy nominated Dog Whisperer with Cesar Millan. All films are distributed on home video through an exclusive distribution arrangement with Universal Studios Home Entertainment. Screen Media Films, LLC is a wholly owned division of Screen Media Ventures. With a library of over 1000 motion pictures, Screen Media Ventures is one of the largest independent suppliers of high quality motion pictures to U.S. and international broadcast markets, cable networks, home video outlets and new media venues. For more information, visit www.screenmediafilms.net.
Run For Your Life
DVD Price: $24.98 S.R.P.
Street Date: October 28, 2008
Pre-Order Date: September 30, 2008
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