KCETLink's Original Documentary, STAND UP PLANET, Premieres at the 57th Annual San Francisco International Film Festival on April 28
Documentary Showcases the Universal Power of Comedy
to Change the
World One Joke at a Time
Stand Up Planet Host Hasan Minhaj along with comedian
Nato Green
will Perform Live Comedy Sets Prior to the Screening
Co-presented by SF Sketchfest
LOS ANGELES, CA - April 14, 2014 - KCETLink, the national
independent public media organization, will the premiere its original
comedy documentary, STAND UP PLANET
at the San Francisco International Film Festival
on April 28.
As a selection in the Festival's Live & Onstage
lineup, which features special guests that provide attendees with an unforgettable live
experience, STAND UP PLANET's host, L.A.-based comic, HasanHYPERLINK "http://www.standupplanet.org/2013/08/hasan-minhaj/" HYPERLINK "http://www.standupplanet.org/2013/08/hasan-minhaj/"Minhaj (Arrested Development, MTV's Failosophy) and comedian NatoHYPERLINK "natogreen.com" Green (The Nato
Sessions, Iron Comic
), will precede the film's presentation with live, politically minded comedy sets at theSundance Kabuki Cinemas at 9:15
p.m.
This event is co-presented by SF HYPERLINK "http://sfsketchfest.com/x/"Sketchfest.STAND UP PLANET is equal parts reality TV,
documentary journey and travelogue that brings viewers on a quest to find some
of the best humor coming from far corners of the developing world. The comedy
documentary, along with a companion comedy showcase and transmedia shorts,
follow Minhaj's epic journey of discovery to find the freshest comic voices in
the most unlikely places: Mumbai, India and Johannesburg, South Africa. Along
the way, Minhaj follows the jokes and personal experiences of these
international comics deep into the hard truths of some of the toughest global
poverty issues of our time. Along with a posse of friends, including acclaimed
comics Nate HYPERLINK "http://www.standupplanet.org/2013/08/nate-bargatze/"Bargatze, James HYPERLINK "http://www.standupplanet.org/2013/08/james-adomian/"Adomian and Michelle HYPERLINK "http://www.standupplanet.org/2013/08/michelle-buteau/,"ButeauHYPERLINK "http://www.standupplanet.org/2013/08/michelle-buteau/,",Minhaj invites comedians from India and South Africa to take part in the
biggest night of their lives - performing in an international comedy showcase
and television show in Hollywood - after a stop to meet three of comedy's
legends: Bill Cosby, Carl Reiner and producer Norman Lear.
"We're so excited to premiere STAND UP PLANET
at the San Francisco International Film Festival later this month," said David
Munro, director and an executive producer, STAND UP PLANET. "Comedy is a powerful weapon that a new
generation of storytellers is using to spark change all over the world. Comedy
doesn't recognize borders, and nothing is funnier - or more dangerous - than
the truth."
For
Festival tickets and information visit, festival.sffs.org.
The worldwide television premiere of STAND UP PLANET airs on Link TV
and Pivot simultaneously on May 14, 2014 starting at 7 p.m. ET/6 p.m. CT. The
KCET (Southern California) broadcast airs at 9 p.m. PT on May 14, 2014.
In addition, STAND UP PLANET's digital campaign - hosted on www.StandUpPlanet.org - provides
viewers with behind-the-scenes content and ways to learn, share information and
take action on global poverty in India and South Africa. The two-part
documentary - STAND UP PLANET and STAND UP PLANET: Comedy Showcase
will also be streamed on www.StandUpPlanet.org
following the television premiere.
STAND UP PLANET is funded by a grant
from The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and produced by independent
broadcaster KCETLink in association with Kontent Films. The television elements
were directed by David Munro, and the project's executive producers are Wendy
Hanamura, Caty Borum Chattoo, Paul S. Mason, Craig Minassian, David Munro,
Xandra Castleton, Mark Decena and Teri Heyman. Munro and Castleton are the TV
program's creators. The project's transmedia executive producers and directors
are Caty Borum Chattoo and Wendy Hanamura.
Follow STAND UP PLANET on Twitter at @standupplanettv and on
Facebook at facebook.com/StandUpPlanet.
Follow the conversations at #StandUpPlanet. To learn more, watch the trailer and visit
www.standupplanet.org.
About KCETLink
KCETLink is the national independent public transmedia
organization formed by the merger between KCET and Link Media. A viewer-supported 501c(3) organization, its
content is distributed nationally via satellite on DirecTV (375) and DISH
(9410), in Southern and Central California via broadcast, as well as through
various digital delivery systems. The
combined organization reaches a wide broadcast audience that includes Link TV's
33 million satellite subscribers and KCET's 5.6 million households in Southern
and Central California. KCETLink is committed to
driving public media innovation with smarter ways to access content that
engages all audiences with global storytelling. For
additional information about KCETLink productions, web-exclusive content,
programming schedules and community events, please visit kcet.org or
linktv.org.
57th San Francisco International Film Festival
The 57th San Francisco International Film Festival runs April 24-May 8 at
the Sundance Kabuki Cinemas, Castro Theatre and New People Cinema in San
Francisco and the Pacific Film Archive in Berkeley. Held each spring for 15
days, the International is an extraordinary showcase of cinematic discovery and
innovation in one of the country's most beautiful cities, featuring 200 films
and live events, 14 juried awards and nearly $40,000 in cash prizes, upwards of
100 participating filmmaker guests and diverse and engaged audiences with more
than 65,000 in attendance.
