Lionsgate Joins Scribd, DONORSCHOOSE.ORG, and Scholastic, For THE HUNGER GAMES National Literacy Month Campaign

Innovative Collaboration Allows For ‘Social Reading’ Of Book Content

Sweepstakes Winner Will Receive Library Of Books To Donate To School Of Choice

SANTA MONICA, CA (September 1, 2011) – This National Literacy Month, LIONSGATE, in cooperation with Scholastic and Scribd, is thrilled to announce that new fans of The Hunger Games can read a never-before-released sample – the entirety of Chapter 2 – from Suzanne Collins’ bestselling book.

Fans can read and share the previously released first chapter along with the exclusively released second chapter of The Hunger Games using a new application built in partnership with Scribd, the world’s leading social reading platform. The app enables users to read the chapters from directly within Facebook and share them with their friends on Scribd, Facebook and Twitter.

Both the content and the application are part of Lionsgate, Scholastic and Scribd’s efforts to promote reading and books during National Literacy Month. To that end, the three companies have joined with DonorsChoose.org, a non-profit organization that was named one of Fast Company’s “Most Innovative Companies,” to create a sweepstakes. Throughout the month of September, any fan that reads The Hunger Games in the Scribd social reader application will be entered in “Read a Chapter, Win a Library” for a chance to win a classroom library of books for one of the public schools served by DonorsChoose.org.

All four companies are supporting the program with their full online weight, including website promotion, social media support including Facebook and Twitter, email blasts, blog posts and in-app featured placement on iPhone and iPad apps.

Said Lionsgate’s Chief Marketing Officer Tim Palen of the four way collaboration, “People who read The Hunger Games adopt a must see attitude to the film – the story is so gripping and urgent that fans of the book literally can’t wait to see it translated to the big screen. We are so lucky to have the partners we do at Scholastic, who have recognized from the beginning how momentous the synergy between the book and movie could be. This is a great joint marketing initiative for the books and the film, and we’re very excited that it was made possible in such an innovative way by Scribd. The fact that we are also able to partner with the ingenious charity DonorsChoose.org to donate an entire library of books to a school is a true honor. The Hunger Games is an incredibly powerful book- the experience of reading it is exciting enough to turn people of all ages onto books with a new fervor, so the National Literacy Month connection couldn’t be more fitting.”

Lionsgate is releasing the feature film adaptation of THE HUNGER GAMES on March 23, 2012.

About the film THE HUNGER GAMES

Every year in the ruins of what was once North America, the nation of Panem forces each of its twelve districts to send a teenage boy and girl to compete in the Hunger Games.  Part twisted entertainment, part government intimidation tactic, the Hunger Games are a nationally televised event in which “Tributes” must fight with one another until one survivor remains.

Pitted against highly-trained Tributes who have prepared for these Games their entire lives, Katniss is forced to rely upon her sharp instincts as well as the mentorship of drunken former victor Haymitch Abernathy.  If she’s ever to return home to District 12, Katniss must make impossible choices in the arena that weigh survival against humanity and life against love.

THE HUNGER GAMES is directed by Gary Ross, and produced by Nina Jacobson’s Color Force in tandem with producer Jon Kilik. Suzanne Collins’ best-selling novel, from a trilogy that has over 12 million copies in print in the United States alone, has developed a massive global following.

Lionsgate will release THE HUNGER GAMES on March 23, 2012