8-21-03 Latest News

LOTR Big Winner at 6th Annual DVD Awards
Xoanon @ 12:33 pm EST

Thanks to JediMistressDragon for sending this in!

Hollywood, August 20, 2003 – New Line Home Entertainment's special edition of Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring took four of the 15 DVD Awards handed out by host Leonard Maltin at the 6th Annual DVD Awards gala at the Universal City Hilton. Warner Bros. Home Entertainment's Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets disc received the award for Best Standard Release as well as the Viewers' Choice honors which were determined earlier this month by nearly 40,000 DVD fans that voted on such Web sites as thedigitalbits.com. The event was the most well attended DVD Awards yet, with more than 400 leading executives from Hollywood's content community.

The DVD Awards is held annually in conjunction with the DVD Conference and Showcase and is produced by the International Recording Media Association (IRMA) and United Media Entertainment (UEM). The purpose is to honor the technical and artistic achievements involved specifically in the creation of DVDs from menu design to the use of special features, with awards in 15 categories.

"This year, more than ever, it's clear that people regard watching a movie on DVD as an experience all its own--quite apart from seeing the same film in a theater," says renowned critic and historian Leonard Maltin, MC of the awards for the past four years. "Nothing illustrates this point more pointedly than [tonight's big winners] the extended edition of Fellowship of the Ring prepared especially for DVD by the film's director Peter Jackson."

New Line Home Entertainment's President and Chief Operating Officer Stephen Einhorn also received the DVD Awards' 2nd Annual Pioneer Award in recognition of his tireless efforts to help get DVD off the ground in the earliest days before many in his field saw the format's powerful potential. "The phenomenal growth of DVD has proved there is a strong consumer demand for DVDs and their many unique attributes. The wonderful added value content contained in so many discs will continue to make DVD unique and compelling."

Best Authoring:
The Lord of The Rings: The Fellowship of The Ring - Special
Extended DVD Edition (submitted by: New Line Home Entertainment)

Best Video Presentation:
The Lord of The Rings: The Fellowship of The Ring - Special
Extended DVD Edition (submitted by: New Line Home Entertainment)

Best Special Edition:
The Lord of The Rings: The Fellowship of The Ring - Special
Extended DVD Edition (submitted by: New Line Home Entertainment)

Best in Show:
The Lord of The Rings: The Fellowship of The Ring - Special
Extended DVD Edition (submitted by: New Line Home Entertainment)