Well Go USA Announces the Award-Winning War Film "9TH COMPANY" Coming to DVD and Blu-ray August 31st

“’9th Company,’ Russia’s top grosser has been touted as the first major film attempt to do for the Afghan war what ‘Platoon’ and other pics did for Vietnam.” -- Variety

WELL GO USA PRESENTS THE AWARD-WINNING VISION OF THE AFGHANISTAN WAR – THE FIRST TIME


Plano, TX – The Soviet Afghanistan conflict started in 1979. Ten years and 14,000 casualties later, the conflict formally ended, and soon thereafter so did the Soviet Union itself. However, for the thousands of soldiers who entered a mountainous country that has successfully fought off invaders for centuries, they would come face-to-face with not only an inscrutable –and seemingly indestructible – enemy, but also with the despairing realization that everything they fought for was slowly crumbling around them.

Winner of the “Nika,” Russia ’s equivalent of the Oscars, for Best Picture and an Academy-Award Selection for Best Foreign Film, Well Go USA proudly announces the August 31st North American release of 9th Company, available on both DVD and Blu-ray™ as Standard and Collector’s editions. The first important war film released since this year’s Oscar®-winning The Hurt Locker, 9th Company will be presented in the original Russian-language version, along with a newly created English dubbed soundtrack. Pre-order is July 27th.

"We are pleased to be able to finally bring the U.S. audience 9th Company," commented Tony Vandeveerdonk, EVP of Well Go USA. "The relevance of 9th Company to today’s  Afghanistan  war conflict is high. We think film fans and DVD consumers alike will want to see and experience this award winning movie".

Featuring the directorial debut of Bondarchuk, son of the legendary Russian film director Sergei Bondarchuk (1967’s War and Peace), 9th Company is an epic war film in the truest sense. Many reviewers have compared it to such American war film classics as Apocalypse Now, Full Metal Jacket and Platoon.

From its all-star Russian cast, to intimate moments of male friendship contrasted against intense, epic battle scenes, 9th Company is an unforgettable reminder that life may be shared…but every death remains an individual one.

Bonus features on 9th Company Collector’s Edition DVD and Blu-ray™ include:

Brand new English language dub (available on both Standard and Collector’s)
Deleted Scenes
Director and crew interviews
Historical interviews accounting the Soviet-Afghanistan conflict
Theatrical trailer

For more information and to join fans in discussing the film, please visit www.facebook.com/9thCompany.

WELL GO USA, INC. (www.wellgousa.com) specializes in the acquisition and distribution of entertainment programs in the video, television and digital market throughout North American and South East Asia . Since 1993, Well Go has acquired and released hundreds of films and programs across all genres and continues to be a leader in film distribution by offering diversified and unique programs in a variety of formats.

9TH COMPANY COLLECTOR’S EDITION DVD
Genre:                         War
Rating:                          Not Rated
Languages:                   Russian with English subtitles
                                    Brand new English language dub
Format:                        Anamorphic Widescreen (2.35:1)
Audio:                          Dolby Digital 5.1
Year:                            2005
SRP :                            $29.98
Street Date:                  August 31, 2010
Pre-order Date:            July 27, 2010  
Length:                         134 minutes + Bonus
UPC :                            812491011584
Cat#:                            WGU01158D

9TH COMPANY COLLECTOR’S EDITION BLU-RAY
Genre:                         War
Rating:                          Not Rated
Language:                     Russian with English subtitles
                                    Brand new English language dub
Format:                        Anamorphic Widescreen (2.35:1) 1080p
Audio:                          DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
Year:                            2005
SRP :                            $32.98
Street Date:                  August 31, 2010
Pre-book Date:            July 27, 2010
Length:                         134 minutes + Bonus
UPC :                            812491011591
Cat#:                            WGU01158B

9TH COMPANY STANDARD EDITION DVD (Movie only)
Genre:                          War
Rating:                          Not Rated
Languages:                   Russian with English subtitles
                                    Brand new English language dub
Format:                        Anamorphic Widescreen (2.35:1)
Audio:                          Dolby Digital 5.1
Year:                            2005
SRP :                            $24.98
Street Date:                  August 31, 2010
Pre-order Date:            July 27, 2010  
Length:                         134 minutes
UPC :                            812491011478
Cat#:                            WGU01147D

9TH COMPANY STANDARD EDITION BLU-RAY (Movie only)
Genre:                          War
Rating:                          Not Rated
Language:                     Russian with English subtitles
                                    Brand new English language dub
Format:                        Anamorphic Widescreen (2.35:1) 1080p
Audio:                          DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
Year:                            2005
SRP :                            $26.98
Street Date:                  August 31, 2010
Pre-book Date:            July 27, 2010
Length:                         134 minutes
UPC :                            812491011485
Cat#:                            WGU01148B

9th Company
9th Company (Collector's Edition)
9th Company (Collector's Edition) [Blu-ray]

Well Go USA Announces the Award-Winning War Film "9TH COMPANY" Coming to DVD and Blu-ray August 31st

"First Squad" Award-Winning Anime Acquired by Anchor Bay Entertainment

BEVERLY HILLS, CA – Anchor Bay Entertainment announced today it has acquired U.S. distribution rights to the award-winning animated thriller First Squad The Moment of Truth from LA-based XYZ Films.  The film was created and written by Misha Sprits and Aljosha Klimov and directed by Yoshiharu Ashino (Pokemon: Jirachi-Wish Maker, Piglets Big Movie).  The film was produced by Molot Films and Studio 4C.

First Squad has garnered several nominations and awards including the Kommersant Newspaper’s Prizes at the Moscow International Film Festival, as well as Best Animated Feature at the Asia Pacific Screen Awards.  The film has also screened at the Locarno , Moscow , Tallinn , Sitges and Fantastic Fest Film Festivals.

“First Squad offers fans a unique storyline about WWII and has received noticed from several film festivals,” commented Anchor Bay Entertainment President Bill Clark.  “ Anchor Bay is pleased to be releasing the film on both DVD and Blu-ray later this summer.”

The deal for First Squad was negotiated by James Shapiro and Kevin Carney for Anchor Bay Entertainment / Manga Entertainment and Todd Brown for XYZ Films.

Set during the opening days of World War II on the Eastern Front, its main cast is a group of Soviet teens with extraordinary abilities.  The teenagers have been drafted to form a special unit to fight the invading German army.  They are opposed by a Schutzstaffel (SS) officer who is attempting to raise from the dead a supernatural army of crusaders from the 12th Century Order of the Sacred Cross and enlist them in the Nazi cause. 

Studio 4C is one of the most respected animation houses in the world, responsible for overseeing the ANIMATRIX project for Warner Brothers while also producing an impressive slate of hugely acclaimed titles of their own including the GENIUS PARTY anthology films, Masaaki Yuasa’s MIND GAME and Michael Arias’ TEKKON KINKREET. First Squad marks Molot Films first picture and the company is currently preparing additional animated projects that will start production later this year.

About XYZ Films

XYZ FILMS is an LA-based film production and sales company founded by partners Nate Bolotin, Nick Spicer, and Aram Tertzakian.  XYZ's production slate includes Ole Bornedal’s DEATH OF HOSTESS along with Endgame Entertainment; the action-thriller LAND OF THE FREE to be directed by Ric Roman Waugh; a heist film with Darren Aronofsky (THE WRESTLER); and a crime thriller about automotive maverick John DeLorean with Alex Holmes ("House of Saddam"). Several of XYZ’s projects were cultivated from an exclusive one year partnership with Time Inc., the publisher of such magazines as Time, Fortune, People, Sports Illustrated and Life. Twitchfilm.net founder and editor-in-chief Todd Brown joined the company in 2009 as a partner and serves as its Head of Acquisitions.

About Anchor Bay Entertainment

Anchor Bay Entertainment is the home entertainment division of Starz Media, LLC. It includes the Anchor Bay Films and Manga Entertainment brands. It distributes feature films, children’s entertainment, fitness, TV series, documentaries, anime and other filmed entertainment on DVD and Blu-ray formats. It is the exclusive distributor in the U.S. of the theatrical titles from Overture Films. Headquartered in Beverly Hills , CA , Anchor Bay Entertainment has offices in Troy , MI , as well as Canada , the United Kingdom and Australia . Starz Media (www.starzmedia.com) is a controlled subsidiary of Liberty Media Corporation attributed to the Liberty Capital Group.

"First Squad" Award-Winning Anime Acquired by Anchor Bay Entertainment