WASHINGTON, DC/CANNES (October 27, 2003)—National Geographic Film Library has signed with the WPA Film Library to represent their archived footage abroad, it was announced today by Matthew White, vice president, Film Library for National Geographic Television & Film (NGT&F).

The Film Library has signed an agreement with Chicago-based WPA Film Library to represent more than several thousand hours of its archives in the U.K. Material includes a diverse library ranging from archived newsreel footage to musical performances to political and public affairs-oriented footage from WETA-TV, as well as contemporary and archived footage of entertainment, culture, sports and travel.

“We’re excited to add WPA to our existing archives and substantially expand the breadth and diversity of footage available to our customers,” said White. “As we roll out our new film library offerings to our customers, we hope to expand the reach of WPA’s archives by introducing them to the international marketplace and expanding their client base.”

Footage will be marketed to advertisers, broadcast producers, researchers, and curators for use in educational and research projects, television and film productions and museum exhibits. Sales will be based out of the Film Library’s London and Washington, DC offices. To license WPA footage, clients can contact National Geographic at +44 207-581-7175. Clients can also contact the Film Library in the U.S. at 877-730-2022.  The Film Library is a wholly owned subsidiary of NGT&F.

In early 2004, National Geographic will make footage available to producers, curators and educators in various formats for entertainment and educational purposes online at www.ngtlibrary.com.

National Geographic’s Film Library functions as an archive and repository for all NGT&F-produced film and videotape material. The Library catalogues and sells stock footage from NGT&F’s Specials, EXPLORER series, educational films, and other NGCI and NGT&F productions. Headquartered in Washington, DC, the Film Library supplies material to a satellite office in London and representatives across the globe. Its fully catalogued database, available online at www.ngtlibrary.com, allows clients to search footage based on subject, location or production criteria.
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About National Geographic Television & Film
Building on its global reputation for remarkable visuals and compelling stories, National Geographic Television & Film augments its award-winning documentary productions (122 Emmy Awards and more than 800 other industry awards) with feature films, large-format films and long-form television drama programming. Worldwide, National Geographic’s television programming can be seen on the National Geographic Channel, MSNBC, and PBS, home video and DVD, and through international broadcast syndication. The National Geographic Channel is received by more than 200 million households in 25 languages in 146 countries, including the United States. For more information about National Geographic Television & Film, log on to nationalgeographic.com, AOL Keyword: NatGeo.

About WPA
Since its inception in 1987, the WPA Film Library has grown into one of the world’s leading footage sources, offering tens of thousands of hours of high quality, vintage and contemporary images.

WPA distributes the renowned British Pathe Newsreel Collection in North America and Japan, and has exclusive rights to the archives of public broadcaster WETA, covering Congressional and Senate Hearings on Waco, Watergate, Whitewater and beyond. Other highlights include groundbreaking music television shows like Hullabaloo, Music Scene or Soul!, nostalgic Americana lifestyle images, vintage training films, campy home movies and classic commercials. Particularly popular among WPA’s contemporary collections is the stunning 70 mm film Baraka.

WPA is a wholly owned subsidiary of the MPI Media Group, one of the oldest independent home video labels in the United States and the producer of hundreds of documentaries.

The WPA Film Library, founded in 1987 by independent producers, began as a repository of archival and stock footage for documentary programming. Acquired by the MPI Media Group in 1989, the company’s holdings now include a vast amount of high-quality footage with tens of thousands of hours of vintage and contemporary images available. Formed in 1976, MPI Media Group is a leading independent producer and distributor of movies, home video and music.