The announcement was made today by Chief Executive Officer Christina Norman.

A leader in the national and international documentary distribution world, ro*co films international has distributed eight Oscar® nominated or Oscar® winning feature documentaries including Born into Brothels, The Garden, Jesus Camp, No End in Sight, Promises, Regret to Inform, Street Fight, and The Weather Underground.

The partnership will result in a documentary film club: a multiplatform experience including a primetime monthly documentary film series airing on the channel, an online community experience and exclusive footage on OWN.tv, as well as the opportunity for some documentaries to be presented as a nationwide theatrical screening event.

The “event” films will give the audience a festival experience by creating communities nationwide that can screen the film together and participate in a live, moderated panel discussion.

As an important part of the new channel’s programming mix, OWN will spotlight cinematic documentaries that can inspire and entertain, as well as provide opportunities for the audience to engage with each film’s emotionally gripping, universally important themes.

“OWN’s commitment to Self-Discovery provides the ideal platform to elevate documentary films and the real, compelling stories they tell,” said Ms. Norman.

“Partnering with ro*co productions, OWN will deliver the very best documentaries to our audience and give them ways to connect through stories that move them.”

“There is a wide-ranging audience hungry for access to profound documentaries of substance and originality,” said Ms. Roney. “Our partnership with OWN will bring these films to a broader audience, but it doesn’t stop there; community discourse and engagement is encouraged and supported as soon as the final credits roll.”

Founder and Managing Director Annie Roney launched ro*co films international in 2000 with belief that a well-told, well-researched documentary can challenge the way people think about issues in every corner of the globe.

After nine years working in documentary distribution, she began ro*co films international with a single Oscar® nominated film, Regret to Inform and has since compiled a growing, but highly selective catalog of feature documentaries and earned the respect of countless independent filmmakers in the United States and abroad.

Ms. Roney is joined by President of ro*co productions, Sue Turley. Ms. Turley has contributed to the growth of ro*co films international since its inception and has several film projects in production.

“Documentary films have the power to entertain, educate, and engage the world, one film at a time,” said Ms. Turley.

“We are thrilled to be working with the incredibly talented team at OWN. They believe in documentaries and have committed their network to bringing these amazing stories to the world.”

Visit rocofilms.com for submission information and guidelines.

About OWN: The Oprah Winfrey Network

A joint venture between Oprah Winfrey and Discovery Communications, OWN: The Oprah Winfrey Network is a multi-platform media company designed to entertain, inform, and inspire people to live their best lives.

OWN will debut in more than 70 million homes, on what is currently the Discovery Health Channel.

The venture also will include the award-winning digital platform Oprah.com.

Oprah Winfrey Network Partnering with Ro*Co Films International to Select Documentaries | Chicago Press Release Services - Chicago's leading press release newswire service; professional press release services, press release distribution and newswire services.

Oprah may be leaving the Windy City to pursue the long-delayed "Oprah Winfrey Network" in LA.

Oprah Winfrey may be leaving Chicago and moving her infamous daytime talk show “The Oprah Winfrey Show” to Los Angeles to finalize plans for “OWN: The Oprah Winfrey Network” project with Discovery Communications.

According to TV gossip guru Nikki Finke, Oprah has decided not to renew her contract with ABC, which ends in the Fall of 2011.

Instead, Finke reports Oprah will focus on “OWN,” the highly anticipated and long-delayed Oprah Winfrey Network—that would reach more than 70 million homes—as a joint venture between Winfrey and Discovery Communications.

Sources say after the original announcement made several years ago, Discovery Communications has seen three top executives and is said to have lost millions of dollars, prompting current Discovery Chief Executive David Zaslav to tell Winfrey to “move it or lose it,” meaning she either migrates her talk show to Discovery’s cable venture or the entire OWN project would be canceled.

But the move to L.A. may be the final piece of the puzzle to make Discovery a success.

After all, Oprah’s show is the “crown jewel” of daytime talk shows, remaining the number one talk show for 23 consecutive seasons, winning every sweep since its debut in 1986.

About OWN: THE OPRAH WINFREY NETWORK

A joint venture between Oprah Winfrey and Discovery Communications, OWN: THE OPRAH WINFREY NETWORK is a multi-platform media company designed to entertain, inform, and inspire people to live their best lives.

OWN will debut in more than 70 million homes, on what is currently the Discovery Health Channel.

The venture also will include the award-winning digital platform Oprah.com.

RELATED STORY: Lisa Erspamer Named Chief Creative Officer of OWN: The Oprah Winfrey Network

Oprah May Be Leaving Chicago to Pursue “Oprah Winfrey Network” in Los Angeles | Chicago Press Release Services - Chicago's leading press release newswire service; professional press release services, press release distribution and newswire services.

Erspamer joins OWN as a 15-year veteran of Harpo Productions, Inc. where she has served as co-executive producer of “The Oprah Winfrey Show” since 2006.

She will report to Ms. Norman and will assume her new post in January 2010. Ms. Erspamer will be based at the company’s Los Angeles headquarters.

In her position, Ms. Erspamer will partner with the senior team to create, shape and drive programming and ensure Oprah’s unique editorial voice across all platforms.

“Lisa has been a creative superstar. She’s brought fire and force to many of the incredible shows we’ve done over the years. I value her passion and sensibilities and trust her instincts and judgment. I know she’ll be a great fit with the OWN team,” said Oprah Winfrey, Chairman of OWN.

“This is an injection of Oprah’s DNA into OWN,” said Ms. Norman. “Lisa’s years of experience in crafting content for the ‘Oprah’ show will be invaluable to us as we build this new multi-platform media venture.”

“What we’ve created with the ‘Oprah’ show only gets better when it’s 24/7. I’m thrilled to have this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to help bring Oprah’s vision for the network to life,” said Ms. Erspamer.

A veteran of Harpo Productions for more than 15 years, Ms. Erspamer was named co-executive producer in 2006, helping lead the most successful team in daytime television.

During her tenure, Ms. Erspamer has produced hundreds of shows and has overseen memorable episodes including this season’s kickoff party “flash mob” dance in the streets of Chicago and two-part Whitney Houston interview, as well as the legendary car giveaway, among many others.

Ms. Erspamer first joined Harpo Productions in 1994 as associate producer and has held positions with increasing levels of responsibility including producer and supervising producer.

About OWN: THE OPRAH WINFREY NETWORK

A joint venture between Oprah Winfrey and Discovery Communications, OWN: THE OPRAH WINFREY NETWORK is a multi-platform media company designed to entertain, inform, and inspire people to live their best lives.

OWN will debut in more than 70 million homes, on what is currently the Discovery Health Channel.

The venture also will include the award-winning digital platform Oprah.com.

Lisa Erspamer Named Chief Creative Officer of OWN: The Oprah Winfrey Network | Chicago Press Release Services - Chicago's leading press release newswire service; professional press release services, press release distribution and newswire services.