Motor Sports: IFC Films acquires North American distribution for 'Dust to Glory'

IFC Films has acquired North American distribution rights for Dana Brown's homage to desert racing's premiere event-the Tecate SCORE Baja 1000 -- titled Dust to Glory, SCORE President and CEO Sal Fish announced today.

The deal was actually completed at the recent Cannes Film Festival and was announced first there by IFC President of Entertainment, Jonathan Sehring.

"Given the record-breaking success of Touching the Void, we felt Dana's film would be a great fit for IFC, especially since Step into Liquid, his first film, has become the definitive film on surfing," commented Sehring.

Often referred to as "the most famous race that no one has ever seen," Dust to Glory, re-teams Step Into Liquid producers C. Rich Wilson and Scott Waugh of BronWa Pictures with Producer and SCORE Baja racing champion, Mike McCoy to help Dana capture the legendary Tecate SCORE Baja 1000 on film.

"I have seen raw footage, historical footage as well as a preliminary edited version of Dust to Glory, and I left the viewing speechless.it was so magnificent," said Fish, who is in his third decade running SCORE. "As good as the film is, if no one can see it would just be awful. Signing with IFC Films was a major accomplishment for this film and will provide it with very substantial reach in the marketplace."

The sprawling, ambitious film used more than 50 cameras, four helicopters, a four passenger open-wheel desert race car camera vehicle and a crew of over 80 to film the longest continuous point-to-point race in the world, which takes place each November in the mysterious and foreboding desert of Mexico's Baja Peninsula.

Also contributing to Dust to Glory is SCORE's Sal Fish, Director of Photography, Kevin Ward, and Associate Producer Marty Fiolka.

"We were impressed with how IFC handled Touching the Void, and the raw enthusiasm they expressed for the subject matter of Dust to Glory" said Director Dana Brown, "which is as important to us as it is to the people committed to this incredible sport".

In addition to more than 200 hours of footage from the 2003 Tecate SCORE Baja 1000, Dust to Glory also features archival footage from the inaugural desert race 37 years ago, which attracted such luminaries as Steve McQueen and James Garner. The footage was supplied by Bruce Brown, the famed director of Endless Summer and On any Sunday, who is part of the production team and the filmmaker's father.

IFC Films: is a leading theatrical film distribution company bringing the best of independent and specialized films to theaters.

Releasing approximately 10 films per year, IFC Films builds its slate of titles from an aggressive acquisitions program and selected in-house productions. Recent IFC Films include; Touching the Void which recently broke box office records to become among the top ten grossing documentaries of all time, 2003 Oscar-nominated My Big Fat Greek Wedding and Alfonso Cuaron's Y Tu Mama Tambien.

SCORE International, based in Los Angeles, has been the world's foremost desert racing organization since it was founded in 1973. Today, it produces the five-race 2004 SCORE Desert Series in the U.S. and Mexico. Two races are held in Southern Nevada and the other three in Baja California.

The Tecate SCORE Baja 1000 is the flagship event of the SCORE Desert Series. The world's most well-known desert race annually features approximately 275 vehicles, competing in 24 Pro and 5 Sportsman classes for cars, trucks, motorcycles and ATVs.

While exact plans are still being finalized, the current world premiere for the film is set to be either in November during this year's 37th Annual Tecate SCORE Baja 1000 peninsula run from Ensenada to La Paz (Nov. 17-21) or in the February of 2005. Stories in the film (a partial list)

Mike "Mouse" McCoy: Finishing 2nd in class and 12th overall on a motorcycle would certainly be considered an accomplished run for the Baja, where most set finishing (at all) as the coveted bar for success. On this day, however, a time of 18:02:40 bears little resemblance to downright heroism left on the course as Mike McCoy solo'd the 800-mile desert trek for the first time. And, befitting a hero's welcome, Mouse was met by a sea of emotionally-stirred friends, family, and newly inspired fans at the finish line, which he reached by prevailing a 70 mph crash and much more.

SCORE Trophy-Truck Titans: By some measure, the SCPRE Trophy-Truck class is one of the most exciting in the SCORE Baja 1000 and definitely a group of drivers and vehicles that command higher standards of intrigue and raw power. Robby Gordon, the Herbst brothers, Ryan Arciero, Mark Miller, and Alan Pflueger in many ways epitomize the range of traits that complete the SCORE Trophy-Truck driver's persona. Shot wide and tight, ground and heli-footage of the class and captured an array of competitive, cinematic, and even funny moments.

The Baja Factor-the great equalizer: Each year, each SCORE Baja 1000 team's success hinges largely upon preparation and the ability to meet incredibly unpredictable challenges. Inextricably woven into the course are unquantifiable monkey wrenches that add a thick layer of trepidation known to no other race in the world. These seemingly random factors include: a crowd that literally walks in the path of the vehicles (often with children), "Booby Traps" made during the night before the race (by fans) including jumps, floods and boulders, unauthorized course changes (think Wiley Coyote), Silt beds that swallow the vehicle in a cloud of blindness, and of course, the Federalies! This year's event was no exception.

Interviews: As only Dana Brown can, the candor typically left reserved for confessions was drawn out of an unprecedented cast of racing icons in one-on-one interviews. Some of the names include: Sal Fish, Mario Andretti, Jimmy Vasser, Robby Gordon, Chad McQueen, Michelle Jourdain Jr., Roberto Guerrero, Robbie Groff, Malcolm Smith, Bruce Brown, JN Roberts, Larry Roeseler, and Paul Page.

Class 11: The stock VW bug class-11 represents a phenomenon in the human experience that could best be described as the desire to "pull for the underdog". One of the last classes off the start, the class 11 bugs face a brutalized course that serves up a greater fury towards the end of the race. Still, the fans and other teams don supportive garb that would make the cheese-heads in Green Bay feel disloyal. The interviews and the story of one passionate, emotionally symbiotic Mexican team will change your perspective on "racing."

Three Generations of Baja: McMillin is a notorious family name in Baja. Three generations ranging from 74 yr. old legend Corky McMillin, who's history with Baja runs as deep as any, to brothers Mark and Scott, who have won the overall race more often than any team, to their 15 yr. old sons, each driving for the first time on their California driver's permits. This family might best represent the spirit of heritage, identity, and commitment requisite to thriving in the SCORE Baja 1000.

Others:

*Incredible pit sequences where the real drama unfolds and the desert is the father of all destruction,

*Mario Andretti's first Baja driving experience and subsequent thumb-ride home,

*An epic battle between factory team Honda riders Johnny Campbell and Steve Hedgeveld vs. former teammate Andy Grider,

*Malcolm Smith's real passion for the children of Baja (an orphanage heart-stringer),

*Baja icon JN Roberts returns to the desert to race with his son Jimmy for the first time, and more.

For more information on the film or to view the trailer, visit www.d2gfilm.com.

Round 4 of the 2004 SCORE Desert Series will be the 9th SCORE Las Vegas Primm 300, to be held Sept. 10-11 in Primm, Nev., 35 miles South of Las Vegas.

For more information, contact SCORE at (818) 225-8402 or visit the Score-International web site.