FORT WORTH, TX., June 20, 1997 -- Abamedia, through Archive Media Project (AMP), announced today its designation as the official trade representative, outside the former Soviet Union, for the Russian State Film and Photo Archive at Krasnogorsk. This Archive is the major repository for historic documentary still and motion picture images of the former Soviet Union, with motion picture footage dating back to film taken by an employee of the Lumiere Brothers of the coronation of Nicholas II, the last Tsar.

Abamedia's President and CEO, J. Mitchell Johnson, describes the archive: "There are more than 30,000 titles of motion pictures on the history of Russia with over 175,000 reels of film, almost all the periodic newsreels from 1919 to 1985, and over a million photographic negatives and images. Much of this material has not been seen by the western, or even the Russian, public. The collection has profound historic value, and being part of making these images accessible to the world is a great honor."

The Archive documents the politics, industry, trade, education, science, sports, culture and people of Russia and the former Soviet Union, as well as revealing their unique perspective on world events. The Russian Revolutions of 1905 and 1917; World Wars I and II; Soviet invasions of Hungary, Czechoslovakia and Afghanistan; the Cold War; the Cuban missile crisis; the Berlin Wall; the space race; and the fall of communism. All these subjects, and many more from the world stage and from daily life, can now be seen in a fascinating new light through the films, photos and documents in the treasure house at Krasnogorsk.

Abamedia, a member of the Association of Moving Image Archivists, developed its relationship with the Russian State Film and Photo Archive with the assistance of an Internews USAID grant program. Internews is an international non-profit organization working to enhance tolerance and understanding by supporting independent media in emerging democracies. This relationship resulted in the formation of Archive Media Project (AMP) which will coordinate all licensing and marketing efforts for the Archive outside Russia and the former Soviet Union and be a major participant in the preservation and cataloguing processes.

Filmmakers, news organizations, advertising agencies, researchers and others interested in licensing information should contact Nancy Marchant, Abamedia Executive Vice President, at:

Voice:817-336-0777
Fax:817-338-0858
E-Mail:Abamedia@abamedia.com
Web Site: http://www.abamedia.com

Abamedia is a media exploration and production company creating television, film, and multimedia and archival properties for the global marketplace. It is based in Fort Worth, Texas, with representation in Los Angeles, London and Moscow. J. Mitchell Johnson -- whose work during more than 20 years as an independent producer and as a producer/consultant for PBS, A&E, ABC/Capital Cities, Random House, and others has earned dozens of awards -- founded Abamedia as a limited partnership in 1995.