SHOWCASE CINEMAS MANCHESTER TO HOST THE REGIONAL PREMIERE OF HEIDI

Emma Bolger, Star of the Film, Scheduled to Attend

MANCHESTER, England - August 9, 2005 - Showcase Cinemas will be hosting the regional premiere of the new film HEIDI, on Friday, August 12, 2005 at 6.30pm. The event will be held at the Showcase Cinemas located at Hyde Road in Manchester.

Emma Bolger, the girl who won many hearts playing Ariel in Jim Sheridan’s ‘In America’, stars as the title character in the current rendition of HEIDI. She will be attending the regional premiere at Showcase Cinemas Manchester to welcome guests and introduce the film.

HEIDI, which opens in cinemas across the UK on August 19, 2005, is a faithful retelling of this heart-warming children’s classic. Directed by first time director Paul Marcus and produced by Chris Figg (Trainspotting) and Martyn Auty (Gentleman’s Relish), this is the first British feature film based on the story.

Orphaned Heidi is sent to the mountains to live with a grumpy grandfather she has never known, this time played by the formidable Max Von Sydow (Minority Report, Pelle the Conqueror) and the two soon grow to love each other. However, their idyllic world is cruelly interrupted by the arrival of Heidi’s aunt, who claims Heidi and then sells her to the evil Mme Rottenmeier, played by Geraldine Chaplin (Talk to Her) to be a companion to the invalid girl in her care. Despite her ability to make friends wherever she goes, Heidi soon misses her grandfather and longs to return to the mountains. A charming, wholesome tale for the whole family to enjoy, HEIDI also stars a wealth of home grown talent, including Diana Rigg (The Avengers, A Good Man in Africa), Pauline McLynn (Father Ted) and Robert Bathurst (Cold Feet).

National Amusements, Inc., a closely held corporation, that operates more than 1,425 motion picture screens in the U.S., the U.K., Latin America, and Russia is an equal partner in the online ticketing service, MovieTickets.com and the parent company of Viacom.

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Media Contact:
Stephanie A. Bileau, Senior Film Publicist, National Amusements
781-461-1600 ext. 453
sbileau@national-amusements.com