Press Release: AWARD-WINNING INDIE HIT SHORT FILM "THE TRIBE" MAKES DEBUT ON THE iTUNES STORE TODAY

Crash Course in Jewish Culture As Told Through the History of the Barbie Doll –

Available for Download on October 2, 2007




SAN FRANCISCO– October 2, 2007– The Moxie Institute is pleased to announce that the award-winning film festival hit short film (Sundance &Tribeca) "The Tribe" will be released commercially online for the first time, exclusively on the iTunes Store. Starting today, October 2, the extraordinary and provocative 18-minute short film, which traces the Barbie doll’s Jewish roots to shed light on what it means to be an American Jew in the 21st Century, will be available for downloading for $1.99.



Written, directed and produced by Shlain and narrated by Peter Coyote (E.T., Bitter Moon), "The Tribe" asks “What can the most successful doll on the planet show us about being Jewish today?” Winner of 8 awards including Audience and Grand Jury Prizes and selected at over 60 festivals this past year, "The Tribe" mixes old-school narration with a new-school visual style. It weaves together archival footage, graphics, animation, Barbie dioramas, and slam poetry to take audiences on an electric ride through the complex history of both the iconic doll and the Jewish people -- from Biblical times to present day.



“Independent filmmakers working online are like scientists experimenting with a network of a billion people online” says Shlain. “I have always admired Apple’s aesthetic. To have Apple select our film for release is a great honor. iTunes offers a new ecosystem for independent filmmakers.”



Honored by Newsweek as one of the "Women Shaping the 21st Century," Tiffany Shlain is founder of The Webby Awards, co-founder of the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences and an award-winning filmmaker. Her films including The Tribe and Life, Liberty &The Pursuit of Happiness, have been selected at over 85 film festivals around the world, including Sundance, Tribeca, and Rotterdam winning over 20 awards and have been translated into six languages. Shlain is an Aspen Institute Henry Crown Fellow and lectures worldwide on technology and her filmmaking. She has served as the on-air Internet expert for ABC’s Good Morning America. Currently, Shlain is the director of The Moxie Institute, an organization that creates media experiences around social issues using emerging technologies.



For more information about Tiffany Shlain and “The Tribe” go to www.tribethefilm.com.