UNIVERSAL PICTURES LAUNCHES #IAMUNBROKEN CAMPAIGN

Everyday Heroes Asked to Submit Stories of Inspiration and Strength in Celebration of Olympian and War Hero Louis "Louie" Zamperini's Legacy

Unbroken Arrives in Theaters on Christmas Day, 2014

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Universal Pictures

Oct 16, 2014, 12:45 ET

UNIVERSAL CITY, Calif., Oct. 16, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Universal Pictures today announced the launch of the #IAmUnbroken campaign, an NBCUniversal-wide initiative that celebrates and inspires unbroken spirits from across the world and invites those from all walks of life to share their stories of triumph over adversity. The campaign leads up to the December 25, 2014, release of Unbroken, the new epic drama from Academy Award^® winner Angelina Jolie that follows the incredible life of Olympian and war hero Louis "Louie" Zamperini (Jack O'Connell). Stories may now be uploaded at the project's official page: www.IAmUnbroken.com.

The #IAmUnbroken campaign began as a way to honor decorated World War II veteran Zamperini, whose legendary life exemplifies the strength of the human spirit to overcome any obstacle and remain unbroken. Beginning on November 11, 2014, in honor of Veterans Day, and leading into the release of Unbroken, these powerful testaments to resilience will be featured regularly on www.IAmUnbroken.com. Selected stories may also be featured on NBC's TODAY, and those who submit have the opportunity to receive an invitation to the film's world premiere.

"Louie Zamperini's unbelievable life was marked by obstacle after setback, ones that forced him to rise and meet seemingly insurmountable challenges again and again." said Doug Neil, executive vice-president, digital marketing, Universal Pictures. "With the #IAmUnbroken campaign, we celebrate Louie's legacy of perseverance by honoring those everyday heroes who refuse to let their circumstances dictate their destiny, but instead choose to define themselves as triumphant survivors."

Participants and readers are encouraged to use hashtag #IAmUnbroken when submitting and sharing their story on their own social channels—in order to generate awareness and enter for a chance to have a professional team create a video segment of their story, which will be featured on www.IAmUnbroken.com. Everyday heroes may also become a part of the #IAmUnbroken social movement and submit their story via the official Facebook page, Twitter handle, Google +, Instagram page and/or Pinterest page.

Supported across NBCUniversal, the #IAmUnbroken campaign will enjoy unprecedented reach. Starting in December, featured #IAmUnbroken stories will be aired on NBC's TODAY. In addition, the employee resource groups NBCUniversal Veterans Network and Veterans Network at Comcast have invited their members and partners to share their stories. NBC Learn will feature the program to its network of 9,000 schools—inviting students across the country to share their own achievements—while Telemundo plans to feature #IAmUnbroken stories on its network.

Externally, Universal has secured partnerships with several companies and organizations to help build the #IAmUnbroken social movement, including Participant Media's TakePart.com, Upworthy and the University of Southern California. For organizations and networks who are interested in helping spread the message of #IAmUnbroken online, a toolkit is now available at www.iamunbroken.com/index.php/campaignmaterials.

About Unbroken

Academy Award^® winner Angelina Jolie directs and produces Unbroken, an epic drama that follows the incredible life of Olympian and war hero Louis "Louie" Zamperini (Jack O'Connell) who, along with two other crewmen, survived in a raft for 47 days after a near-fatal plane crash in WWII—only to be caught by the Japanese Navy and sent to a prisoner-of-war camp.

Adapted from Laura Hillenbrand's ("Seabiscuit: An American Legend") enormously popular book, Unbroken brings to the big screen Zamperini's unbelievable and inspiring true story about the resilient power of the human spirit.

Starring alongside O'Connell are Domhnall Gleeson and Finn Wittrock as Phil and Mac—the airmen with whom Zamperini endured perilous weeks adrift in the open Pacific—Garrett Hedlund and John Magaro as fellow POWs who find an unexpected camaraderie during their internment, Alex Russell as Zamperini's brother, Pete, and in his English-language feature debut, Japanese actor Miyavi as the brutal camp guard known only to the men as "The Bird."

The film is produced by Jolie, as well as Clayton Townsend (This Is 40), Matthew Baer (City by the Sea) and Erwin Stoff (The Day the Earth Stood Still). Leading the accomplished behind-the-scenes crew is 11-time Oscar^®-nominated cinematographer Roger Deakins (Skyfall).

Academy Award^® winners Joel and Ethan Coen (No Country for Old Men) rewrote the screenplay from earlier drafts by William Nicholson (Les Miserables) and Richard LaGravenese (HBO's Behind the Candelabra).

Unbroken arrives in theaters on Christmas Day, 2014. www.unbrokenfilm.com

About Universal Pictures

Universal Pictures is a division of Universal Studios (www.universalstudios.com). Universal Studios is part of NBCUniversal. NBCUniversal is one of the world's leading media and entertainment companies in the development, production and marketing of entertainment, news and information to a global audience. NBCUniversal owns and operates a valuable portfolio of news and entertainment networks, a premier motion picture company, significant television production operations, a leading television stations group and world-renowned theme parks. NBCUniversal is a subsidiary of Comcast Corporation.

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SOURCE Universal Pictures