Today at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival Microsoft Corp. together with Sundance Institute presented the Microsoft HDi Grant to director Jason Kohn and producer Jared Goldman for their 2007 Sundance Film Festival Grand Jury Prize-winning documentary “Manda Bala (Send a Bullet).” Worth an estimated $100,000, the grant provides Kohn and Goldman with resources to author “Manda Bala” in pristine high definition and develop immersive interactive experiences using Microsoft’s industry-leading HDi technology. HDi technology enables filmmakers to complement their work with features such as picture-in-picture director’s commentary and character biographies that enhance the home viewing experience. The grant also includes support for production of the finished product on HD DVD along with other digital delivery scenarios.

In addition, on Jan. 18, 2008, Microsoft began offering digital rentals of Sundance Film Festival short films on Xbox 360 for 160 Microsoft Points, which can be purchased at retail or online. The Video Store on Xbox LIVE is the leading provider of high-definition on-demand content, with the most hours of high-definition content available, offering movies for video on demand and TV shows and music videos for electronic sell-through. More information about content being offered on Xbox LIVE Marketplace is available at http://www.xbox.com/en-US/live/marketplace/moviestv.