CITIZEN HEARST to Hit Movie Theaters Nationwide, 3/11

Leslie Iwerks Productions and Hearst Corporation, in conjunction with D&E Entertainment, announced today the nationwide theatrical release of CITIZEN HEARST beginning March 11 in multiple cities, including New York and Los Angeles. To kick off the national run, there will be a red carpet premiere at Hearst Castle on March 8 and the film will be feted as the closing night film of the San Luis Obispo International Film Festival on March 10. (Watch the trailer and buy tickets at citizenhearst.com.)

Citizen Hearst, directed by Academy Award nominee Leslie Iwerks and narrated by Academy Award nominee William H. Macy, traces the 125-year history of the Hearst media empire, from William Randolph Hearst's pioneering and controversial days of headline-grabbing newspapers and yellow journalism to today's successful and culture-shaping news, magazine, television and digital brands around the world. The film had its world premiere at the Hamptons International Film Festival in October 2012.

The iconic nature of W.R. Hearst an important and indelible part of American history has long enthralled the public, and was famously dramatized in the 1941 film Citizen Kane, starring Orson Welles, which screened at Hearst Castle for The First Time during the 2011 San Luis Obispo Film Festival. Citizen Hearst, produced by Iwerks and Jane Kelly Kosek, is the first in-depth look at how the company has navigated the changing times over the span of two centuries.

Crafted from interviews and historical footage, Citizen Hearst features the personal stories and media milestones that have made today's Hearst Corporation. Viewers will get a never-before-seen view of the company, from behind the glass exterior of New York's Hearst Tower to inside the famous Hearst Castle near San Simeon, Calif. Featured interviews include Hearst executives and editors, including Frank A. Bennack, Jr., CEO of Hearst (who has led the company longer than any Hearst executive other than W.R. Hearst himself), Oprah Winfrey, Mark Burnett, Ralph Lauren, Donna Karan, Dan Rather, Bob Iger, Leonard Maltin, Dr. Oz, Heidi Klum, Nina Garcia, Timothy Greenfield-Sanders and several descendants of W.R. Hearst, among others.

The film chronicles the rise of American journalism and the newspaper rivalry with Joseph Pulitzer; traces the beginnings of newsreels and films, and, later, magazine brands and cable; glimpses inside the personal lives of W.R. Hearst and Marion Davies, as well as the impact of Citizen Kane on W.R. Hearst himself; explores the influences of media on politics through the decades; investigates Hearst's steadfast pursuit of creative expansion; and examines the bold commitment to building Hearst Tower in the wake of 9/11.

"Citizen Hearst explores the creative genius and sharp foresight that has been handed down from one Hearst leader to the next, all in the pursuit of innovation across all media platforms," Iwerks says. "Hearst has always believed in its creative people to build and expand the organization. The film follows the thread that began with the unprecedented vision and risks of William Randolph Hearst and continues under the leadership of CEO Frank Bennack today."

Commenting on the film, Bennack says: "It is clear today that we are a very different company than 125 years ago, but in one sense Hearst has not changed at all: Our mission is still to inform, entertain and inspire. This is The First Time our story is told in film, from William Randolph Hearst's first Examiner edition to the global information company we are today. Citizen Hearst is a documentary 125 years in the making we are all 'Citizen Hearsts' in a sense, informed by journalism and media that W.R. Hearst is responsible for creating."

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