VIRGIL FILMS & ENTERTAINMENT ANNOUNCES

AYN RAND & THE PROPHECY OF ATLAS SHRUGGED

THE ESSENTIAL NEW DOCUMENTARY EXPLORES THE RESURGING INTEREST IN AYN RAND’S EPIC AND CONTROVERSIAL 1957 NOVEL AND ITS DIRE PREDICTION FOR THE FUTURE OF AMERICA

Available on DVD, VOD, and All Digital Platforms

April 3, 2012

“I am challenging the moral code of altruism, the precept that man must sacrifice

himself to others, which is the present day morality.” - Ayn Rand

New York City (January 17, 2012) — “Who is John Galt?,” is the question that propels writer and philosopher Ayn Rand’s epic and controversial 1957 novel Atlas Shrugged, which depicts an America in crisis, brought to its knees by a corrupt establishment of government regulators and crony businessmen who prey on individual achievement. A far-more urgent inquiry-Is America heading for the disastrous outcome that Rand predicted?-is at the center of the remarkable new documentary AYN RAND & THE PROPHECY OF ATLAS SHRUGGED.

Directed and produced by acclaimed documentary filmmaker Chris Mortensen (Sworn to Secrecy: Secrets of War, American Gangster), AYN RAND & THE PROPHECY OF ATLAS SHRUGGED explores how Rand’s book-a philosophical manifesto in the form of an epic novel-and her own philosophy of “Objectivism,” which trumpets rational self-interest over altruism, is perceived by many as a prescient blueprint of what is happening in America today.

Virgil Films & Entertainment will release AYN RAND & THE PROPHECY OF ATLAS SHRUGGED on DVD, VOD, and all Digital Platforms, for the first time on April 3 (pre-book March 6) following its highly-publicized digital cinema premiere by D&E Entertainment in over 50 cities across the country earlier this year.

Just as many think Atlas Shrugged’s view is being frighteningly mirrored in America today, so is the 55-year-old book itself rising to never-before-reached heights of success and popularity, a cultural wave that crests with AYN RAND & THE PROPHECY OF ATLAS SHRUGGED. Despite a critical pummeling upon its publication, Atlas Shrugged became a best seller and has remained in print ever since, selling a healthy 75,000 copies a year. But with the dawn of the new millennium, momentum began to increase dramatically, culminating in sales of more than one and a half million in the past five years, with over 500,000 copies in 2009 alone. And it’s not just cash registers that are making noise: Never before has the novel had such a strong presence in the media and public consciousness, referenced in news stories, op-ed pieces, business publications, political talk shows - even to the highest levels of governmental discourse and debate.

During the financial crisis of 2008, filmmaker Mortensen noted the resurgence of Atlas Shrugged, which he had read in college, and that people were talking about Rand and Atlas more than ever. “Because people saw events from the novel happening in real life-housing bubble, stock market crash, Mississippi River bridge collapses, banks collapse, bailouts, nationalizing auto companies - all that happened in the book,” says Mortensen. “And how spooky is that? Suddenly Rand’s ‘unlikely’ plot didn’t seem so far-fetched.”

Through exclusive footage of Rand and scores of interviews with critics, writers, biographers, friends and titans of the modern business world, including legendary Hollywood producer Albert Ruddy and Philadelphia Flyers’ owner Ed Snider, AYN RAND & THE PROPHECY OF ATLAS SHRUGGED reveals that an increasing number of Americans - right or wrong - see their society devolving into a nightmare scenario like the one Rand projected over a half century ago.

AYN RAND & THE PROPHECY OF ATLAS SHRUGGED provides and even-handed examination of Rand’s background for the ideas and philosophy that inspired and shaped Atlas Shrugged and seeks to determine whether America is indeed headed for the catastrophic outcome she proposed.

More information on AYN RAND & THE PROPHECY OF ATLAS SHRUGGED can be found on the Virgil Films & Entertainment website at www.VirgilFilmsEnt.com and the film’s website at http://atlasshruggeddocumentary.com/.

AYN RAND & THE PROPHECY OF ATLAS SHRUGGED — Synopsis:

AYN RAND & THE PROPHECY OF ATLAS SHRUGGED is a feature-length documentary film that examines the resurging interest in the epic and controversial 1957 novel and its writer, Russian-American philosopher and novelist Ayn Rand. The film explores how Rand’s philosophical manifesto in the form of an epic novel, a portrayal of a corrupt American establishment of government regulators and crony businessmen, exemplified her own philosophy of “Objectivism,” which trumpets rational self-interest over altruism and argues that self-sacrifice is as heinous an act as murder. Just as Atlas Shrugged’s view is being frighteningly mirrored in the world today, so is the 55-year-old book itself rising to new heights, with its frequent acknowledgement in the popular media and explosive sales of more than one and a half million copies in the past five years (and over 500,000 copies in 2009 alone). Through exclusive footage of Rand and scores of new interviews with critics, writers, Rand biographers and friends and titans of the business world, AYN RAND & THE PROPHECY OF ATLAS SHRUGGED proposes that an increasing number of Americans - right or wrong - see their society devolving into a nightmare scenario like the one Rand projected over a half century ago.

VIRGIL FILMS & ENTERTAINMENT

Virgil Films & Entertainment, formerly Arts Alliance America, was founded in 2003 as Hart Sharp Video by Joe Amodei to develop, acquire, market and distribute DVD product in the theatrical feature film, documentaries, special interest and sports categories.  The company has built partnerships with OWN, Sundance Channel Home Entertainment, National Geographic Cinema Ventures, ESPN, MLB Productions, Morgan Spurlock’s Warrior Poets and other high-profile entertainment brands since their inception.  Recent releases from Virgil Films & Entertainment include the documentary, My Run; the Sci-fi thriller Lunopolis: The Wildest Dream, narrated by Liam Neeson; the hit film, Forks Over Knives; Michael Imperioli’s directorial debut The Hungry Ghosts; and National Geographic’s Oscar® nominated documentary Restrepo. For more information, please visit: www.VirgilFilmsEnt.com

AYN RAND & THE PROPHECY OF ATLAS SHRUGGED
Virgil Films & Entertainment
Street: April 3, 2012
Pre-Book Date:  March 6, 2012
UPC: 8 29567 0862-2 3
Cat #: 670862
SRP: $22.99 DVD
Genre: Documentary
Director: Chris Mortensen
Running Time: 84 minutes
Format:  Widescreen
Sound Format:  Stereo
Rating:             NR
Country: U.S.
Language: English

DVD Bonus Features:

• Featurette including Extended Interviews