Oliver Groom of Project X Distribution in Toronto has now completed the work on the DVD version of The Freethinker (1992-1994) for North America. The Freethinker (dealing with the personal life and work of the Swedish dramatic August Strindberg) is one of my films which has never been fully released. The four-and-a-half hour DVD is now available from Amazon.com. Plans to release the DVD in Europe are now advancing. Perhaps later a cinema version will emerge.

SHELLAC, a new distributor of my work in France, has now released a short version (3hrs 30 mins) of La Commune (1999) into French cinemas. The reviews have been very strong and positive. The association 'Le Rebond' has been showing the original long version of La Commune in non-commercial venues in France and elsewhere for seven years now and is continuing the good work (see the ‘Availability’ section for this film).

For further information on the availability of La Commune, as well as Punishment Park, The Diary of an Unknown Soldier, and The Forgotten Faces for cinema showings in France, please contact SHELLAC, 40 rue de Paradis, 75010 Paris shellac@altern.org Tel: ++ 33 1-42 55 07 84 www.shellac-altern.org

Generally, though, outside France, the cinema distribution of my films remains very limited, especially in the U.K., Europe and even more so in Scandinavia - which is a great pity, considering that a number of my films work with themes of relevance to Sweden, Norway, and Denmark. However, on that front there is one good news: Arthaus, a non-commercial distributor in Norway which was set up by the Norwegian Federation of Film Societies, screened Edvard Munch (1973) last autumn in cooperation with the Oslo Cinematheque. Since that time there have been a number of commercial screenings of the film in Norway (a first!) and a DVD release is planned there.

The situation with Privilege has now changed quite dramatically! After a long period of uncertainty, Universal Pictures have finally agreed to allow Oliver Groom to release the film as a DVD in North America. If you visit Amazon.Com you will see that the release is set for July 29, 2008. For further information on Privilege, as well as The Freethinker, please contact Oliver Groom in Toronto at Project X Distribution Limited, 223 Humberside Avenue, Toronto, Ontario M6P 1K9 Canada. Tel: (416) 604-2506 oliver@torontobritpics.com.

For Culloden and The War Game, all requests for cinema screenings must continue to be addressed to the BBC in London (see the ‘Availability’ sections of these films).

Doriane Films in Paris continues to release The Diary of an Unknown Soldier, The Forgotten Faces, Culloden, The War Game, The Gladiators, Punishment Park and Edvard Munch on DVD. These are always in the original language with French or English subtitles. Hopefully, soon, also The Freethinker. For further details contact Cécile Farkas, Doriane Films, 1, rue du Sergent Bauchat, 75012, Paris France Tel: (+33) 1 44 74 77 11 Fax: (+33) 1 44 74 64 93 cecile@doriane-films.com, www.doriane-films.com.

For more detailed information regarding the DVD and cinema availability of my films, please see the ‘Availability’ link in the section dealing with each film.

Last year we posted a new Introduction to this website regarding the escalation of the media crisis, and its overwhelming effect on the global environment. Please see revised Introduction.

Last year, my wife Vida and I left Lithuania, where we were residents for the most part since 1994, and moved to Felletin, a small town in La Creuse in the centre of France. My contact e-mail will continue to be: peter_r_watkins@hotmail.com.

I would like to thank everyone who has written supportive e-mails and letters since the time that the site was first launched; I apologize for not always being able to reply, but I sincerely appreciate everything I have received! I would also like to thank Al Urbonavicius in Hamilton, Canada, for his design of this website.

Best wishes, Peter Watkins.