MURDER SEEN SECOND UP FOR MINDS EYE'S SASKATOON INITIATIVE

Released: May 9, 2000

(SASKATOON) Principal photography begins today on Murder Seen, produced by Minds Eye Entertainment of Regina in association with Thomega Entertainment Inc. of Saskatoon. The feature film is the second of eight action thrillers of the "Saskatoon Initiative" established by C.E.O. and Chairman of Minds Eye Entertainment, Kevin DeWalt. Murder Seen will be distributed internationally by Saban International, and in North America by Minds Eye International.

Filmed on location in Saskatoon the film will showcase the University of Saskatchewan Campus, the Avenue building heritage property as well as residential areas in and around the city.

Murder Seen is a suspense thriller about a psychic co-ed tormented by the chilling details of a mysterious kidnapping on her college campus. Zoey Drayden, an intelligent and beautiful university student, receives a life-altering phone call from a distressed woman pleading for help. The eerie call evokes haunting dreams of the woman's abduction. Driven to investigate, she discovers the disturbing reality behind her visions and decides to go to the police. There, Zoey meets Detectives Keegan and Stepnoski, and reveals details of the missing student's case that only the police and the killer would know. To her disbelief, Zoey becomes their prime suspect and is arrested for masterminding the kidnapping. Determined to save the woman and free herself from the horrifying images, Zoey helps to capture a vicious serial killer, and in doing so, almost pays the price with her own life.

Nicole Eggert (Anything for Love, Baywatch) stars as the brainy and beautiful botany student Zoey Drayden, with Callum Keith Rennie (eXistenZ, Hard Core Logo) as the intrepid Detective Keegan. Timothy Bottoms (The Man in the Iron Mask, Absolute Force) plays the role of gruff Detective Stepnoski and Kent Allen (Big Bear, Painted Doves) appears in a leading role as kidnapper and madman Ivan Stark.

Murder Seen is directed by Rob King (Without Malice, Something More) and written by Marilyn Webber. Kevin DeWalt is Executive Producer, Mark Reid is producer, and Tony Towstego is co-producer. Director of photography is Ken Krawczyk, c.s.c (Without Malice, Scrounger).

The Saskatoon Initiative's primary objective is to create a skilled labour base of local crew for the thriving motion picture industry. Minds Eye Entertainment will shoot eight motion pictures in Saskatoon and area over the next two years. This initiative will create immediate employment, train newcomers to the industry and at the same time, foster continued growth in the motion picture sector.

Of a forty-five person crew, Murder Seen employs a crew of twenty-seven Saskatoon residents, and six Saskatoon cast members including Sharon Bakker, Blaine Hart and Jody Peters, as well as over fifty extras from the area.

CEO of Minds Eye Entertainment and Executive Producer of Murder Seen, Kevin DeWalt, also announced today that all eight of the "Saskatoon Initiative" feature films will be broadcast on Canada's Super Ecran and TMN - The Movie Network, beginning in 2001.

TMN - The Movie Network, operated by Astral Television Networks Inc., an Astral Communications Inc. company, is Canada's biggest in-home movie theatre showing uncut and commercial-free movies, exclusive series and comedy specials. With one 24-hour main channel and MultiChannel TMN - 4 multiplex channels starting daily at noon (ET)-- TMN offers movie fans maximum choice.

Super Ecran is North America's only French-language pay-TV network. Airing uncut and commercial-free movies, exclusive series and comedy specials on one 24-hour main channel and two primetime multiplex channels, Super Ecran is Canada's largest in-home francophone movie theatre. Super Ecran is delivered via cable, MMDS in Quebec (and in some areas of Ottawa), and by DTH nationally.

"The fact that the country's biggest movie channels are anxious to air our films is a testament to the quality and production value of these motion pictures. It says a lot about how far the industry has come here in Saskatchewan," says DeWalt.

Established in 1986, Minds Eye Picture is a fully integrated production, post-production and distribution entity with offices in Canada and the U.S. Its award-winning feature films. Television series, shorts and documentaries have been sold in more then 100 countries.

Thomega Entertainment Inc. is a new Saskatoon based production company with Tony Towstego heading the company as C.E.O.