FEATURE DOCUMENTARY FILM “MAKE PEACE OR DIE: THE FIRST DAYS OF WAR IN IRAQ WITH 1ST BATTALION 5TH MARINES” TO WORLD PREMIERE AT ANNUAL MARINEPARENTS.COM CONFERENCE

62 Area Films today is announcing the World Premiere of “Make Peace or Die: The First Days of War in Iraq with 1st Battalion 5th Marines” with two special screening sessions at the Annual MarineParents.com Conference, April 21 & April 22, 2006, in Houston, TX and immediate availability of DVD purchase through the official website (http://www.MakePeaceOrDie.com) for Memorial Day release. On May 29, 2006, when the DVD begins shipping, the film will be made freely available for download through the website via open source BitTorrent technology.

“Make Peace or Die: The First Days of War in Iraq with 1st Battalion 5th Marines” is a boots-on-the-ground account of the treacherous three-week journey from the oilfields of Kuwait to Saddam Hussein’s palace in Baghdad during Operation Iraqi Freedom. Footage from embedded reporters, Department of Defense archives, digital images from individual Marines, and interviews conducted by a former member of 1/5 provide a rare glimpse into the souls of America’s warriors. From the first encounter with the enemy at Saddam Canal to dealing with the fog of war at a roadblock on the streets of Baghdad, we witness in these men the essence of conflict, both personal and professional, as seen through the ages. The film serves as both an intensely personal oral history and a chilling snapshot of events that would give way to the future in Iraq.

Award-winning director Valerian Bennett will accompany the film to Houston and field questions from the audience of conference attendees. Bennett states, “In light of the current situation in Iraq, it is arresting to witness the expedition of infantry Marines during the first days of the war. Remember, at this point, places like Fallujah and Ramadi were unknown. IEDs were non-existent. And, ‘major combat operations’ had been decisively concluded. Of course we now have the hindsight of three years to use as filter for the American experience in Iraq. As such, so many elements of this film strike deeper and deeper as the days pass.”

Bennett continues, “When I initially saw some of the first-person combat footage and raw interviews these men gave, fresh from the battlefield, I knew there was something the greater public could benefit from that elevates above politics. Using open source BitTorrent technology to bring this film freely to the American people fulfills what I believe is the ultimate goal of personal documentaries; to promote a further understanding of the human condition.”

About 62 Area Films
62 Area Films is an entertainment holding company formed by acclaimed filmmaker, Valerian Bennett, for the exclusive purpose of producing “Make Peace or Die.”

About MarineParents.com, Inc.
MarineParents.com, Inc. (formerly MarineMoms.us), was founded in January 2003 in response to parents' needs to find information and to Connect & Share™ with one another during deployments. Free services and connections have expanded to support and educate Marine moms & dads, spouses, families and friends. The site has helped over 30,000 Marine and recruit families during boot camp, training, active duty and deployments. MarineParents.com, Inc. is an IRS 501(c)(3) public charity.

About 1st Battalion 5th Marines
The activation of the Fifth Marines dates back to June 1917, just prior to the U.S. force deployment to France during World War I. In January of 2003, the Fifth Marines deployed to Kuwait as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom. The Regiment became the first unit to cross the line of departure into Iraq and during much of the drive to Baghdad the Regiment led the 1st Marine Division in the deepest attack in Marine Corps history.

About BitTorrent
The open source BitTorrent protocol provides a means for content creators and publishers to manage the distribution of data from a single source to many destinations (peers). A file being distributed as a Torrent is broken into pieces that are subsequently shared between the peers (instead of being sent only from the source to each peer). With BitTorrent, a potentially massive increase in distribution efficiency for the publisher and generally a better overall experience for any given peer is achieved.