here! Films Acquires Acclaimed Festival Film Race You to the Bottom LOS ANGELES, CA – June 6, 2006 - here! Films, the theatrical distribution and worldwide sales division of here!, Networks -- the nation's first gay television network -- is pleased to announce the acquisition of the acclaimed festival film Race You to the Bottom. here! Films has acquired worldwide distribution rights to the film that was written and directed by Russell Brown. The film marks Brown's feature film debut and stars rising actors Amber Benson ("Buffy the Vampire Slayer") and Cole Williams (North Country). This acquisition comes on the heels of a series of successful festival appearances around the globe, including the London Gay and Lesbian Film Festival, FRAMELINE: The San Francisco International LGBT Film Festival, and Los Angeles' renowned Outfest, where the film won Outstanding Actress in a Feature Film for its star Benson. Recently, it was hailed by the Bay Area Reporter has one of the Top Ten Films of 2005. The film will be released theatrically in early 2007 in select cities nationwide through here! Films sister company Regent Releasing.

Set in modern day California, Race You to the Bottom follows Nathan (Williams), a travel journalist, as he is assigned to write about romantic hot-spots in the Napa Valley. He invites Maggie (Benson), the woman he has been seeing for months, to come along for a passionate weekend getaway. Trouble is, Maggie already has a boyfriend. And so does Nathan. What transpires is a seductive and heartbreaking journey through Napa's wine country and into the complicated affair between these two dynamic young lovers.

Director Russell Brown makes his feature film directorial debut with Race You to the Bottom, which he also wrote and produces alongside Roni Deitz. Brown has previously worked in short films, two of which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival. One of these films, Mama Laura's Boys, a half hour documentary about the oldest blues club in Los Angeles, was aired by the PBS affiliate station in Southern California in honor of black history month and after the season premiere and conclusion of Martin Scorsese's Blues series. After graduating from USC Film School, he held creative executive positions with Laura Ziskin Productions at Columbia Pictures, and Saturday Night Live Studios at Paramount Pictures. Producer Roni Deitz gained recent acclaim for the feature Harry and Max, which premiered at the 2004 Sundance Film Festival and was nominated for the Grand Jury Prize as Best Dramatic Feature.

"The team at here! films and Regent Releasing have a great track record opening specialized films like ours," said director Russell Brown. "I'm excited to begin this new partnership with here! and thrilled to have the opportunity to share Amber and Cole's performances with a larger audience."

Stars Amber Benson and Cole Williams have been steadily establishing themselves as steadfast talent in the film and television industry. Benson has starred in over a dozen films, including Steven Soderbergh's King of the Hill and the Harvey Keitel-starrer Imaginary Crimes. She rose to fame during her three-season recurring performance on the hit show "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" as Tara Maclay. Williams has appeared on the hit comedies "8 Simple Rules" and "Scrubs" as well as the recent critically acclaimed film North Country starring Charlize Theron. He has worked in independent features for a number of years, most notably director Christopher Munch's Harry and Max, a 2004 Sundance Grand Jury Prize finalist.

Race You to the Bottom also stars Jeremy Lelliott (WB's "7th Heaven"), Danielle Harris (Urban Legend, "Roseanne"), and Justin Hartley (NBC's "Passions"). The film was shot by acclaimed cinematographer Marco Fargnoli, whose work has been featured on NBC, FOX, The History Channel, and the Sundance Institute, as well as in the recent Sundance Film Festival entry The Sleepy Time Gal.

"here! is thrilled to add Race You to the Bottom to our growing catalog of award winning film acquisitions. Russell's brilliantly sharp and accomplished debut certainly continues here!'s trend of authentic and innovative projects that aim to both enlighten and entertain our loyal and growing audience," said Mark Reinhart, Executive Vice President of Distribution and Acquisitions at here! Films.

About here! Films

here! Films is the theatrical distribution and worldwide sales division of here!, America's first gay television network, which was established in 2002 by Regent Entertainment co-founders Paul Colichman and Stephen P. Jarchow. here! Films' North American theatrical distribution is handled by its sister company, Regent Releasing. here! Films is headed by Mark Reinhart, Executive Vice President of Distribution and Acquisitions. here! Films' recent acquisitions include "Cut Sleeve Boys," "Looking for Cheyenne" "Freshman Orientation," and "Queens." Recent here! Films theatrical releases include "Margaret Cho: Assassin," "Guys and Balls," "Callas Forever," "Beautiful Boxer," "Summer Storm," "HellBent" and "April's Shower," among others.

here!, America's first gay television network, was established in 2002 and is currently available to more than 50 million households nationwide. here! offers a wide variety of groundbreaking and acclaimed original movies and series plus the world's largest collection of gay and lesbian films appealing to the broad-based, diverse LGBT audience. here! is available across the U.S. via satellite and is offered by all major cable providers nationwide increasingly as a subscription video on-demand (SVOD) service. here! is also available to broadband homes via major Internet TV providers. here! Interactive Media, a new online division of here! Networks, has more than 2 million unique visitors a month through sites including Gaywired.com, GayMonkey.com, LesbiaNation.com and GaySports.com.

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