DOCUMENTARY CHANNEL SLATES U.S. PREMIERE OF

JAMES KLEINERT’S “SAVING THE AMERICAN WILD HORSE”

FOR MONDAY, JULY 7, IN PRIMETIME

Viggo Mortensen, Grammy^® Award-Winner Sheryl Crow And

Emmy^®Award-Winner Peter Coyote Are Featured In Documentary Short

Spotlighting The Current Plight Of America’s Wild Horses

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (June 19, 2008) – Documentary Channel will showcase the U.S. television premiere of "Saving the American Wild Horse" -- a poignant documentary directed by Emmy^® Award-winning documentary filmmaker, James Kleinert -- on the network’s “Primetime Premieres” programming block Monday, July 7, at 9 p.m. ET/PT.  Produced by Moving Cloud Productions, the film features Viggo Mortensen and Grammy^® Award-winner Sheryl Crow and is narrated by Emmy^® Award-winner Peter Coyote.  DOC is available on DISH Network (Channel 197), and several broadcast stations in major markets including NYC TV (Channel 25) throughout the greater New York metropolitan area.

Kleinert’s 27-minute documentary short examines the politics behind the Bureau of Land Management's (BLM) controversial policies regarding wild horses on public lands and questions the fate of America's wild horses and burros, whose very existence is in jeopardy.  The original score features music by Rick Allen (drummer of Def Leppard), singer-songwriter Lauren Monroe, Craig Sutter, Keith Secola, Robert Mirabel and Preston Pope.

Featuring interviews with scientific experts, ranchers, historians, wild horse owners, animal rights activists, environmentalists and others, “Saving the American Wild Horse” examines the origins and effects of the recent “Burns Bill,” which gutted the Wild Free Roaming Horse and Burro Act of 1971 and cleared the way for slaughter and removal of a vast majority of the wild horse herds.  The film exposes the current massive Western land grab by oil, gas and mining corporations exploiting more than 30 million acres of natural Western lands in the areas of New Mexico, Nevada, Colorado and others.  As a result, the current land exploitation is affecting all wild life species including the American wild horse. 

            “My interest in documenting American’s wild horses began while working on my film ‘Spirit Riders’ about the birth of an American Indian peace movement, as well as learning about the removal of these beautiful wild animals while living in Wyoming,” says Kleinert.  “I’m excited for the opportunity to share my five year journey on Documentary Channel, and I hope this film will not only educate viewers about the disturbing, massive removal of our horses but to inspire change to the future of these precious animals.”

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         “We’re pleased with the opportunity to bring James Kleinert’s compelling work on the state of our diminishing wild horse population to a primetime television audience for the first time,” says Tom Neff, founder and CEO, Documentary Channel.  “With the help of several talented entertainment stars, Kleinert’s film is a remarkable effort to bring this issue to the forefront of the American consciousness, and we believe our viewers will be astounded by his dramatic footage.”

About Moving Cloud Productions: Moving Cloud Productions is a multi-media organization that produces state of the art visual/audio programming.  Founded in 2002 by producer, director, cinematographer and Emmy^® Award-winning filmmaker James Kleinert, the programming intent is to empower the human spirit, mind and body in a harmonious nature.  Moving Cloud Production’s Web site is located at www.movingcloud.com and “Saving the American Wild Horse” is located at www.theamericanwildhorse.com.  Kleinert also has founded the Spirit Riders Foundation -- www.spiritridersfoundation.org -- a non-profit organization working to provide Lakota (American Indian) youth educational opportunities and to create educational awareness for America's wild horses and burros. 

About Documentary Channel™:  Documentary Channel (DOC) is the USA’s first 24-hour television network exclusively devoted to documentary films and is the Voice of the Independent Documentary Filmmaker.  DOC seeks out and showcases independent, cutting-edge and international non-fiction programming rarely seen in the U.S., and often then only in film festivals or other special venues.  Many of DOC’s programs are U.S. or world premieres on television.  DOC is the television viewer’s round-the-clock opportunity to see fascinating, eclectic and award-winning documentary films of all lengths and genres, from classics to cutting-edge.

DOC has created partnerships and relationships with world-renowned organizations and festivals to bring the world’s greatest documentaries to television, often for the first time.  These organizations include The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences, The International Documentary Association, The National Film Board of Canada, Los Angeles Festival, Nashville Film Festival, Hot Springs, HotDocs, Durango Film Festival, Reel Women, and many others.  In addition, DOC has teamed up with distinguished educational institutions including USC School of Cinema and the Academy of Art in San Francisco, among others, to introduce young, future documentary filmmakers to the viewing public.

Headquartered in Nashville, Tenn., with offices in New York and Los Angeles, Documentary Channel was founded by CEO and Oscar^®-nominated documentary filmmaker Tom Neff.  DOC launched on DISH Network (Channel 197) in January 2006, and now reaches over 21 million homes nationwide. DOC is carried by several broadcast stations in major television markets including NYC TV (Channel 25) throughout the greater New York metropolitan area.  DOC’s Web site is located at www.documentarychannel.com.  DOC was recognized after its first year as co-winner of the Emmy for Best Feature Documentary at the 28^th Annual News & Documentary Emmy^® Awards for the film, “Shake Hands with the Devil: The Journey of Romeo Dallaire.”

America's Wild Horses NEED YOUR HELP!