American Express Brings the Magic of The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus to
Toronto Early With an Advance Gala Screening

Torontonians Can Realize the Potential of Gaining Preview Access to The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus and Director Terry Gilliam Courtesy of American Express

TORONTO , Dec. 8 /CNW/ - American Express today released details around how the public can gain exclusive early access to its advance gala screening of The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus.

The red carpet event will feature a guest appearance by the film's director Terry Gilliam , who will take the stage for a post-screening Q&A. This special preview event takes place on December 11th , before the movie opens to the public on December 25th . The film and the after-party will be held at Toronto's The Carlu, a National Historical Site.

On Wednesday, December 9th , American Express will give away tickets to this exclusive event in a variety of ways:

    
    -   American Express-branded street teams will make appearances in the
        downtown core to give away tickets. In order to receive a pair of
        tickets, people must find and approach the team members with the
        correct phrase, found only on http://www.americanexpress.ca/events.
        -  8:30 a.m. Bay & Wellington - general public
        -  12:30 p.m. Yonge & Bloor - general public
        -  4:30 p.m. Bay & Front - American Express Cardmembers (an American
           Express Card must be shown to receive tickets)
    -   Several Toronto-based radio stations and blogs will make tickets
        available over the few days
    

"Following the tremendous reaction to our recent screening of The Twilight Saga: New Moon, we are thrilled to bring another gala event to Toronto with a special advance screening of The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus," said David Barnes , VP Communications at American Express Canada .

"Our 'Realize The Potential' advertising campaign encourages people to follow their passions and get the most out of their lives. We're happy to bring exclusive experiences like the advance screening of The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus so that everyone can experience what it's like to be an American Express Cardmember," he said.

The evening's red carpet gala will begin at 6:00 p.m. with the screening beginning at 7:00 p.m. While all ages are welcome to attend, everyone under the age of majority in Ontario (18) must be accompanied by an adult.

The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus stars cast Christopher Plummer , Heath Ledger , Johnny Depp , Colin Farrell , Jude Law , Lily Cole , Andrew Garfield , Verne Troyer and Tom Waits .

The film opens in theatres nationwide on December 25, 2009 . Distributed by Sony in the U.S.A and by E1 Entertainment in Canada .

About American Express in Canada

American Express in Canada operates as Amex Bank of Canada and Amex Canada Inc. Both are wholly owned subsidiaries of the New York based American Express Travel Related Services Company, Inc., the largest operating unit of the American Express Company. Amex Bank of Canada is the issuer of American Express Cards in Canada . Amex Canada Inc. operates the Corporate Travel, Travel Services Network and Travellers Cheques divisions in Canada . American Express opened its first offices in Toronto and Hamilton in 1853 and now employs 3,700 Canadians coast-to-coast.

About E1 Entertainment

E1 Entertainment (AIM: ETO) is a leading independent entertainment content owner that acquires film, television and music rights and exploits these rights in all media in more than 190 countries. The company currently operates in Canada , the U.S., the UK, Holland and Belgium through its four primary businesses units: E1 Television, E1 Films, E1 Music and E1 Distribution. These businesses collectively represent E1's extensive expertise in film distribution, television and music production/distribution, Kids content, licensing and distribution. E1's content library includes more than 3,700 feature films, 2,700 hours of original television programming and 15,000 music tracks.

For further information: on the event, please contact: Killeen Kelly on behalf of American Express Canada, Tel: [phone], Email: [email protected]; Jessica Myers on behalf of American Express Canada, Tel: [phone], Email: [email protected]; For further information on the film, contact: Charlene Coy on behalf of E1 Entertainment Canada, Tel: [phone], Email: [email protected]