BMWFILMS.COM Unveils DVD Collection of the Award-Winning Series THE HIRE at the Cannes Film Festival

Executive from BMWFILMS.COM To Participate In DVD Panel Discussion at Variety
Village - All Eight Films In Series Included

Woodcliff Lake, NJ, May 19, 2003 ... BMWFILMS.COM will unveil the DVD
collection of its award-winning Internet short-film series THE HIRE at The
Palais des Festival during the Cannes Film Festival. The DVD collection
includes all eight films in the series.

The Hire series, which debuted at the Cannes Film Festival in 2001, revolves
around one intriguing central character known as The Driver played by British
acting sensation Clive Owen ("The Bourne Identity," "Gosford Park," and
"Croupier.") Each film brings together Hollywood elite -- top-name directors
such as John Frankenheimer, Guy Ritchie and Joe Carnahan combined with
remarkable casts including Madonna, James Brown and Gary Oldman.

"The Hire series has received such a tremendous response from consumers and
critics that it was inevitable that we produce a DVD of the collection," said
Wayne Schulte, Media Communications Manager for bmwfilms.com. "The Hire was an
unprecedented example of media convergence and we are delighted to premiere the
DVD collection at the Cannes Film Festival, the same legendary place where
bmwfilms.com entertainment debuted."

On Wednesday, May 21st, Wayne Schulte will participate in the DVD panel
"Building A Film Franchise," to be held at Variety Village from 3:00 - 4:30pm.
Variety's Home Entertainment Editor, Scott Hettrick, will moderate the panel.
Mr. Schulte will be among top industry experts discussing how the evolving DVD
market extends properties into worldwide franchises. The panel features
executives from film production, directors and distribution.

The eight films on the DVD include:

Ambush, directed by John Frankenheimer was the first dramatic film in the
series. On a dark freeway, a van swerves close to the Driver and the door
slides open. From inside, masked gunmen threaten to fire unless the Driver
stops and surrenders his passenger (Tomas Milian), a seemingly harmless man
they accuse of smuggling diamonds. It's a simple choice: do or die.

Chosen, directed by Ang Lee is a stunning mystery where the Driver meets a ship
carrying an eight-year-old Tibetan boy at a dark, deserted New York shipyard.
But he's not the only one waiting. The director's son, Mason Lee, co-stars.

The Follow, directed by Wong Kar-Wai showcases his ability to play heart
against the mind. In this drama, the cunning tactics of trailing another car
quickly evolve into a mystery rife with deceit, as the Driver is hired to
follow a woman accused of cheating on her famous husband. The film co-stars
Mickey Rourke and Adriana Lima.

Star, directed by Guy Ritchie stars Madonna. The Driver faces perhaps his most
perplexing challenge: coming face-to-face with a hugely talented and successful
rock star. But beneath her beauty lies a problem - she always gets what she
wants. The two characters face-off in a battle of power against power.

Powder Keg, directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu. Soldiers, fingers on
triggers, patrol a coup-ravaged city in South America. Their mission: find a
photojournalist who has snapped a picture certain to enrage the world against
their leader. The Driver is the photographer's only hope of getting him and
his film beyond the fiercely guarded border.

Hostage, directed by John Woo, is a taut action-thriller. The Driver is hired
to deliver ransom money for a distinguished C.E.O. (Kathryn Morris) who's been
kidnapped. When the exchange goes awry and the kidnapper (Maury Chaykin)
provides a phone number instead of the hostage, the Driver must race against
time to find her before her cell phone battery -- and her air supply -- runs
out.

Ticker, directed by Joe Carnahan, is full of political espionage, dramatic
tension, and emotional suspense. The film is a tense thriller involving the
delivery of a mysterious brief case. The Driver becomes the contingency plan
for a foreign dignitary (F. Murray Abraham) and a government agent (Don
Cheadle) as a team of secret service agents (Ray Liotta, Robert Patrick and
Dennis Haysbert) awaits the arrival of the ticking case.

Beat the Devil, directed by Tony Scott is a dark comedy which finds the Driver
hired to chauffeur a famous rock star (James Brown) to a meeting with a man
we're led to believe is the devil (Gary Oldman). The rock star once sold his
soul in exchange for fame and fortune, and now, in his twilight years, wants to
renegotiate. The devil won't budge, and instead, challenges the star and the
Driver to a drag race. Rocker Marilyn Manson adds an edgy note to this already
soulful short.

About bmwfilms.com
Hailed by critics across the country as "groundbreaking," with a "cinema
connoisseur's dream team of directors," The Hire Internet film series received
international acclaim when it premiered in 2001 with original short films
directed by five of Hollywood's most noted directors. The series continues to
receive accolades.

BMW Group In America
BMW of North America has been present in the United States since 1975. Since
then, the BMW Group in the United States has grown to include marketing, sales
and financial service organizations for the BMW and MINI brands and Rolls-Royce
Motor Cars; DesignworksUSA, an industrial design firm in California; a
technology office in Silicon Valley and various other operations throughout the
country. BMW Manufacturing Corp. in South Carolina is part of BMW Group's
global manufacturing network and is the exclusive manufacturing plant for all
Z4 Roadster and X5 Sports Activity Vehicles. The BMW Group sales organization
is represented in the U.S. through networks of 340 BMW car, 327 BMW Sports
Activity Vehicle, 148 BMW Motorcycle retailers, and 70 MINI dealers. BMW (US)
Holding Corp., the BMW Group's sales headquarters for North, Central and South
America, is located in Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey.

Information about BMW Group products is available to consumers via the Internet
at http://www.bmwusa.com http://www.bmwmotorcycles.com and
http://www.miniusa.com

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Journalist note: Information about the BMW Group and its products is available
to journalists on-line at the BMW Group PressClub at the following address -
www.press.bmwgroup.com.

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