PRESS RELEASE

SUNDANCE CHANNEL'S "THE HILL"
ORIGINAL DOCUMENTARY SERIES
SPOTLIGHTS CAPITOL HILL AIDES PREMIERES AUGUST 23, 2006

Limited Series Directed By Beltway Insider Ivy Meeropol Follows Day-to-Day Lives of U.S. Congressman Robert Wexler's (Dem. FL) Staff

New York, NY, June 21, 2006 - Set in the office of Congressman Robert Wexler (Democrat, Florida), "The Hill," is a Sundance Channel documentary series offering a rare glimpse into the charged world of congressional politics. Set to premiere on Wednesday, August 23, 2006 at 9:00pm e/p., "The Hill" is produced by Roland Park Pictures, Inc. and directed by Ivy Meeropol, a filmmaker (Heir to An Execution) and a former Capitol Hill speechwriter and legislative aide. The six-part series peers into the personal and professional lives of Wexler's young, smart and driven staff.

Consisting of six half-hour episodes, "The Hill" focuses on the inner-workings of the office of Congressman Wexler, an influential member of Congress who has battled the opposition, and sometimes even his own party, on politically sensitive issues such as Social Security reform and the war in Iraq. Wexler, a key member of the House Judiciary Committee and the International Relations Committee, is also actively involved in the Middle East.

"The Hill" features Wexler's Chief of Staff Eric Johnson, Communications Director Lale Mamaux, Legislative Director Jonathan Katz, Legislative Assistant Halie Soifer, and Congressman Wexler.

Ms. Meeropol was critically lauded for her film Heir to an Execution, which explored the legacy of her grandparents Ethel and Julius Rosenberg and premiered at the 2004 Sundance Film Festival. Earlier in her career, Ms. Meeropol worked for five years as a speechwriter and legislative aide to U.S. Congressman Harry Johnston. During her time in Washington, Ms. Meeropol, who has also worked as a journalist and screenwriter, worked on key issues such as education, immigration, crime, drugs and welfare.

The episode lineup for "The Hill" is as follows:
August 23 at 9:00pm e/p
Fighting the Good Fight -- With the 2004 national election fast approaching, Congressman Wexler and his staff pour their off-time energies into scheduling television appearances, issuing press statements about the mounting chaos in Iraq, and taking the President to task for his Middle-East policy. Traveling to the Congressman's home district in Florida to get out the vote, Halie faces police intimidation and the troubling fact that her boyfriend is working the same turf for the Bush campaign, while Lale takes a leave of absence from the Wexler office to work on the Kerry campaign.

August 30 at 9:00pm e/p
Less Feeling, Please... More Doing -- With Bush back in office and pushing Social Security reform, Wexler and his staff move aggressively to offer an alternative plan - a strategy that wins them no love from their party's leadership. Foreign policy wonk Halie pushes the Congressman to join a press conference about Darfur, and Eric brainstorms a pointed legislative response to revelations of White House involvement in the CIA leak case. Lale puzzles over her habit of dating Republicans, and comes in for much teasing from her co-workers.

September 6 at 9:00pm e/p
Putting In My Two Cents -- While Eric's preoccupation with work creates tension at home with his partner James, Halie prepares to take a major step in her relationship with her new Democratic boyfriend. Lale, Eric and Jon grapple with how to respond to Bush's nomination of John Roberts for the Supreme Court, and discover the judge's connection to the 2000 Florida recount. But if the office is united in opposing Roberts, they are passionately divided over Iraq and a pending Congressional resolution proposing the withdrawal of U.S. troops.

September 13 at 9:00pm e/p
What Should the Democrats Be Saying? -- It's August 2005, and the staff is working on Iraq and environmental policy matters when Hurricane Katrina hits. Having experienced FEMA's incompetence first-hand during Florida's previous hurricane season, Wexler is incensed by the unfolding catastrophe in New Orleans. As the office mobilizes around the disaster, Wexler visits Katrina refugees living at a temporary facility in his congressional district and becomes an angry, articulate voice on their behalf.

September 20 at 9:00pm e/p
Nothing is Fun in a Hurricane -- Wexler's district takes a devastating hit from Hurricane Wilma, despite his best efforts to ensure preparation and coordinated policies on the ground. While the Congressman focuses his attention on his constituents, Halie settles into a new apartment and Lale, Eric and James visit Lale's parents' home. Scooter Libby is indicted in the CIA leak case, and Halie makes some headway in her campaign to get Wexler to take a leading position on Iraq.

September 27 at 9:00pm e/p
It's Time to Be Mad as Hell -- The Thanksgiving recess is two days away when Democratic Rep. John Murtha, a decorated war veteran, announces his position that the U.S. should withdraw its troops from Iraq. A day later, the Capitol is thrown into chaos when Republicans counter with a resolution forcing the House to vote yea or nay for immediate withdrawal. As night falls, lives are put on hold while Wexler and his staff debate his options: whether to vote with his party or with his gut.

"The Hill" is produced by Xan Parker, Elizabeth Holder and Ivy Meeropol. Holder and Parker are partners in the New York-based production company Roland Park Pictures, Inc. Holder and Parker directed and produced the critically acclaimed documentary Risk/Reward, a verité feature about women on Wall Street which screened at film festivals internationally and aired on Oxygen in 2004. Parker was associate producer of Academy Award nominated documentary LaLee's Kin: The Legacy of Cotton, which premiered at the 2001 Sundance Film Festival, and has produced and directed nonfiction for MTV. Holder's directing credits include independent features, short films, and children's television. More information about Roland Park Pictures can be found at www.rolandparkpictures.com

Under the creative direction of Robert Redford, Sundance Channel is the television destination for independent-minded viewers seeking something different. Bold, uncompromising and irreverent, Sundance Channel offers audiences a diverse and engaging selection of films, documentaries, and original programs, all unedited and commercial free. Launched in 1996, Sundance Channel is a venture of NBC Universal, Showtime Networks Inc. and Robert Redford. Sundance Channel operates independently of the non-profit Sundance Institute and the Sundance Film Festival, but shares the overall Sundance mission of encouraging artistic freedom of expression. Sundance Channel's website address is www.sundancechannel.com.

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