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RAINFOREST FILMS

ABOUT THE COMPANY

Director Rob Hardy and Producer William Packer created Rainforest Films in 1994 on the eve of the success of their first film Chocolate City. Shortly thereafter, the duo began producing a myriad of corporate pieces as their film was distributed to video stores. 

The filmmakers Rob Hardy and Will Packer state, "Like the great African American film pioneer Oscar Micheaux, we too will ensure that there is a platform for all races so that America as a whole can enjoy the culture and diversity that makes it such a unique and special place to live".

After moving to Atlanta, Rainforest blossomed with its spellbinding film Trois. Remarkably, the picture was funded, produced, and distributed independently. Trois became the fastest African-American distributed film to ever surpass the million-dollar mark. This achievement landed Rainforest Films at the #34 spot of Top 500 Film Distributors of 2000 listed by Hollywood Reporter (August 2001), and resulted in the picture being in the Top 50 Highest Grossing Independent Films of the Year according to Daily Variety (July 30, 2001).

 Soon after, Rainforest Films produced the mesmerizing Pandora’s Box. This motion picture earned the star of the film, actress Monica Calhoun (The Best Man), an award for "Best Actress" from the 2002 American Black Film Festival. The film was later released to theatres and generated a respectable box office, further solidifying the company as a top tier independent theatrical distributor.

The success of Trois and Pandora’s Box led to the acquisition of the feature film Lockdown. This dramatic piece, which stars Richard T. Jones, Gabrielle Casseus, and Master P, also received a limited theatrical run via Rainforest and has subsequently become a financial juggernaut on home video, making it one of Columbia Tri-Star’s top selling independent releases. As a result, Rob Hardy and William Packer were listed amongst the "New Establishment" of Black Power Brokers in Hollywood (Hollywood Reporter – December 10, 2002).

Next came Motives, starring Vivica A. Fox and Shemar Moore and then the Isaiah Washington vehicle, The Escort, soon followed. After announcing the new MTV film project with mega-star Usher Raymond (Hollywood Reporter- July 21, 2004), Rainforest produced yet another hit film titled The Gospel. Released in October 2005 by Sony/Screen Gems, this faith-based film starred Boris Kodjoe, Nona Gaye and Idris Elba, and featured new songs by Kirk Franklin. After teaming with both Sony and Lion’s Gate Films to produce Mekhi Phifer’s directorial debut Puff Puff Pass, Rainforest produced the energetic film Stomp The Yard for Screen Gems. Stomp TheYard chronicles warring fraternities at a Historically Black College. This film will be coming to theatres in January 2007 and stars R&B sensations Ne-Yo and Chris Brown, as well as rising stars Megan Goode, Columbus Short, and Brian White.

The company recently wrapped production on another feature film entitled Brother’s Keeper, the sequel to Motives. Additionally, Rainforest Films has produced a number of commercial projects for clients, including: American Honda, Coca-Cola, Mauldin Brand Agency, Wu Tang Clan, Coca-Cola, The National Cancer Institute and Burrell Communications. 

ROB HARDY (Writer/Director/Producer)

Rob Hardy made his directorial debut as a high school Senior, with the camcorder-shot movie G-Man. While pursuing a degree in Mechanical Engineering at Florida A & M University, he made the leap to film with the low-budget motion picture Chocolate City. This experience earned him the institution's highest honor, the Bernard Hendricks Student Leadership Award, and launched his company Rainforest Films. The underground buzz on the project soon led to his controversial film Trois. Hardy not only directed and co-wrote the thriller, he was also instrumental in self-distributing the project as well. In 2003, after directing the critically acclaimed thriller Pandora's Box, he added the role of "Producer" to his credits by collaborating with business partner William Packer, to produce the thought provoking film Motives, starring Vivica A. Fox and Shemar Moore. 2004 saw Hardy Executive Producing Trois 3:The Escort, and penning an "untitled Usher" project for MTV Films. Hardy wrote and directed the spiritually themed drama entitled The Gospel. He also executive produced Mekhi Phifer's directorial film debut, Puff Puff Pass, and then served as Executive Producer on Rainforest Films’ latest feature Stomp The Yard. He recently finished Brother’s Keeper, a sequel to the film Motives. His hard-earned success has garnered a 2005 nomination for the "HBO Director to Watch Award", as well as a 2006 "Best Screenplay" (Black Movie Awards) nomination for The Gospel. The Hollywood Reporter (December 2002) listed him amongst the New Establishment of Black Power Brokers. Additionally, Hardy completed studies at the New York Film Academy, and has directed a number of commercial projects for clients, including: BET, American Honda, Coca-Cola, The National Cancer Institute and Burrell Communications. He currently resides in Atlanta, GA with his wife and son.  

Will Packer (Producer)

Will Packer is co-founder and chairman of Rainforest Films, an Atlanta based film production and distribution company. He is responsible for producing and overseeing the company’s studio financed and self-financed films and distribution projects. He co-founded Rainforest Films with partner Rob Hardy in the summer of 1994 while both were engineering students at Florida A & M University. After graduating magna cum laude from Florida A&M University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering in 1996, Packer decided to forego lucrative job offers in the field of engineering to capitalize on his entrepreneurial instincts and his passion for filmmaking. His visionary and tenacious leadership fueled the production and successful independent distribution of the motion picture Trois, the company’s first film to be released theatrically. Trois grossed $1.2 million dollars and became the fastest million dollar grossing film distributed by African Americans. Based on the company’s success as an independent distributor, Packer brokered a profitable partnership in 2001 between Rainforest Films and Sony’s Columbia Tri-Star to produce and distribute urban films. This partnership has resulted in Packer overseeing production and distribution budgets of numerous urban-themed releases including Trois: The Escort, Motives and The Gospel. Next, Will traveled to L.A to produce Mekhi Phifer’s feature directorial debut, Puff Puff Pass, before returning to Atlanta to jump into the company’s largest project to date, Stomp The Yard. Most recently, Mr. Packer and business partner Rob Hardy served as executive producers on the sequel to Motives 2.

Mr. Packer serves on the Board of Directors of IMAGE Film and Video, an Atlanta non-profit organization that exists as a support system for independent film and video artists. He also lends a substantial amount of time as a volunteer fundraiser for Readers Make Leaders, Inc., a nonprofit organization that encourages urban teens to read. He has been honored with the key to the city of St. Petersburg, FL, and "Will Packer Day" has been proclaimed in the cities of Chattanooga, TN and Ft. Lauderdale, FL. Packer is a dynamic and inspiring speaker who has delivered educational and motivational speeches to industry groups, as well as youth and community groups nationwide.

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Media contact:

Lisa Sorensen

LSPR

(818)761-0430 

lisa@ls-pr.com