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Amazon.com and the Tribeca Film Festival Debut Tribeca Screening Room for Short-Film Competition -- More Than 1,000 Films Submitted


WEBWIRE

SEATTLE--April 18, 2005--
Millions of Amazon.com Customers Can Rate Films Alongside Celebrity Reviewers including Gwyneth Paltrow, David Duchovny, Ice Cube and Donald Sutherland

Amazon.com, Inc. (Nasdaq:AMZN), the Tribeca Film Festival and its founding partner American Express today announced the debut of the Tribeca Screening Room (www.amazon.com/screeningroom) for the Amazon Theater/Tribeca Film Festival Short-Film Competition, where millions of Amazon.com customers will have the opportunity to rate as many short films as they would like using the Amazon.com star rating system. Customers will also be invited to read comments about selected films by celebrity reviewers including:

-- Gwyneth Paltrow (Academy Award-winning actress, “Shakespeare in Love,” “The World of Tomorrow”)

-- David Duchovny (Golden Globe Award-winning actor, writer and director, “The X-Files,” “Kalifornia”)

-- Ice Cube (Rapper, actor and producer, “Friday,” “Boyz n the Hood,” “Are We There Yet”)

-- Donald Sutherland (Award-winning actor, “Ordinary People,” “Backdraft,” “JFK,” “The Italian Job”)

-- Taylor Hackford (Academy Award-winning director, producer, “An Officer and a Gentleman, ”Ray")

-- John Hamburg (Writer, director, “Meet the Parents,” “Zoolander,” “Along Came Polly,” “Meet the Fockers”)

-- Stanley Tucci (Award-winning actor, writer, director and producer, “Big Night,” “Road to Perdition,” and “Sidewalks of New York”)

Amazon.com, in partnership with Tribeca Film Festival and its founding partner American Express, developed this innovative online film competition in recognition of the critical role that short films have played in the broader filmmaking world. More than 1,000 films were submitted over a period of less than six weeks.

“Now it’s time for Amazon.com customers to select our five finalists in our search for the next great filmmaker,” said Kathy Savitt, Amazon.com’s vice president of Strategic Communications, Content and Initiatives. “This is the only film competition of its kind in which millions of film lovers can decide the winner.”

“The Tribeca Film Festival is about bringing film to the widest possible audience, and this competition will greatly expand the reach of the Festival and bring short film to new audiences as well as involve Amazon.com customers in the process of judging films,” said Jennifer Maguire Isham, president of the Tribeca Film Festival.

When customers visit the Tribeca Screening Room at Amazon.com, they will take part in a search for the next great short-film maker by viewing and rating randomly-selected films. The last day to rate the films in the Tribeca Screening Room is May 20. At the end of May, the five films with the highest ratings will be featured on the Amazon.com welcome page over a period of four weeks. Again, Amazon.com customers will rate the five finalists to determine the overall winner of the Amazon Theater/Tribeca Film Festival Short-Film Competition.

Each time a customer rates a film, he or she is automatically entered to win a trip to New York City to attend the exclusive premiere of the five finalist films at Tribeca Cinemas. Ten first-prize winners will receive a copy of the Martin Scorsese Collection DVD box-set, collector’s edition, and a 2005 Tribeca Film Festival poster signed by Tribeca Film Festival jurors. In early July, the grand-prize winning filmmaker will be announced, and will receive a grant of $50,000 for their next film in the form of an American Express prepaid card.

The Amazon Theater/Tribeca Film Festival Short-Film Competition was designed by Amazon.com for filmmakers and film lovers, and is an important part of the company’s continued dedication to being a destination for exclusive content and products. From the Tribeca Screening Room, customers can visit The Tribeca Collection, an online boutique highlighting products and content selected by Tribeca Film Festival founders, organizers and jurors. Additionally, celebrity reviewers will have dedicated boutiques in which their work and content is featured.

Macromedia Flash is the exclusive video format for the Amazon Theater/Tribeca Film Festival Short-film Competition.

About Amazon.com

Amazon.com, Inc., (Nasdaq:AMZN), a Fortune 500 company based in Seattle, opened on the World Wide Web in July 1995 and today offers Earth’s Biggest Selection. Amazon.com seeks to be Earth’s most customer-centric company, where customers can find and discover anything they might want to buy online, and endeavors to offer its customers the lowest possible prices. Amazon.com and other sellers offer millions of unique new, refurbished and used items in categories such as beauty, health and personal care, jewelry and watches, gourmet food, sports and outdoors, apparel and accessories, books, music, DVDs, electronics and office, toys and baby, and home and garden.

Amazon.com and its affiliates operate seven Web sites: www.amazon.com, www.amazon.co.uk, www.amazon.de, www.amazon.fr, www.amazon.co.jp, www.amazon.ca, and www.joyo.com.

As used herein, “Amazon.com,” “we,” “our” and similar terms include Amazon.com, Inc., and its subsidiaries, unless the context indicates otherwise.

Forward Looking Statement

This announcement contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Actual results may differ significantly from management’s expectations. These forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties that include, among others, risks related to potential future losses, significant amount of indebtedness, competition, management of growth, potential fluctuations in operating results, international expansion, fulfillment center optimization, seasonality, commercial agreements, acquisitions, and strategic transactions, foreign exchange rates, system interruption, consumer trends, inventory, limited operating history, government regulation and taxation, fraud, and new business areas. More information about factors that potentially could affect Amazon.com’s financial results is included in Amazon.com’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2004, and all subsequent filings.

About Tribeca Film Festival

The Tribeca Film Festival was founded by Robert De Niro, Jane Rosenthal and Craig Hatkoff to celebrate New York City as a major filmmaking capital. Tribeca Cinemas, located at 54 Varick Street, was acquired by the Festival founders in 2003 and serves as a year-round venue for the Festival and its related activities.

The 2005 Festival, presented by American Express, will take place from April 19th to May 1st in various locations throughout lower Manhattan. The 2005 Festival will feature special events, outdoor concerts and screenings, a street fair, and panel discussions with noted filmmakers. The 2005 event schedule and program details will be announced at a later date.

American Express is the Founding Sponsor of the Tribeca Film Festival. Part of a multi-year relationship, the sponsorship demonstrates American Express’ dedication to the goals of the Festival and the revitalization of lower Manhattan.



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