“A gem of smart writing, seamless acting and unvarnished beauty…Kate Dollenmayer gives one of the year’s best performances.” – LA Weekly

Critically-acclaimed film debut of “promising new filmmaker” Andrew Bujalski comes to DVD this summer

NEW YORK, NY – July 18, 2005 --- Genius Products, Inc. (OTCBB:GNPI) announced today the August 2005 DVD release of Wellspring's award-winning director Andrew Bujalski’s first feature film -- Funny Ha Ha. Starring an award-winning ensemble cast of young, up-and-coming talent including Kate Dollenmayer, Christian Rudder, Myles Paige and Jennifer L. Schaper, Funny Ha Ha portrays the daunting transition from college into the world of adulthood and all the challenges of the twenty-something life. The hilarious and heartfelt comedy tells the story of how recent graduate Marnie’s attempts at maintaining her career, friendships and love life prove more challenging than she had imagined.

“The exceptional new talent Andrew Bujalski has been favorably compared to directors such as Mike Leigh, Richard Linklater and John Cassavetes for his natural stream of consciousness observations,” stated Kimberly Rubin, Vice President of Marketing. “The brilliant writing and delightful performances will have audiences falling in love with the characters and the story as this charming comedy debuts on DVD.”

Funny Ha Ha will be available August 16th on DVD for the suggested retail price of $26.98. The pre-book date is July 13, 2005. The DVD includes Commentary with Russian Scholar, Radio Play, Portrait Gallery, Theatrical Trailer, 4x3 Full Frame Presentation and Stereo.Funny Ha Ha received widespread critical acclaim during its theatrical release. A.O. Scott of The New York Times called the film “unexpectedly seductive,” and Entertainment Weekly proclaimed “Grade: B+…An ebullient sliver of a movie.” Additionally, The Boston Globe praised the film as “A smartly observed, unpretentious, and unconventional comedy of manners – or more properly it’s a comedy of mannerisms.” Critics at Film Comment, The Boston Phoenix, and Cinemaspeak.com selected Funny Ha Ha as one of the Top 10 Films of the Year, while Bujalski received the Someone to Watch Award at the Independent Spirit Awards. Additionally, the film received the award for Best Performance by an Ensemble Cast at the Sidewalk Moving Picture Festival and Bujalski was chosen as the Most Promising New Filmmaker at the Northampton Film Festival. The recipient of numerous other film festival honors, Funny Ha Ha was an Official Selection at the Woodstock, Los Angeles, Sidewalk Moving Picture and Northampton Film Festivals.

SynopsisWhen you graduate college you easily sashay into the world of adulthood, start a career and get serious, right? Wrong! Marnie has left college, but not her drinking habits and her bad taste in men. After being fired from her job, 23 year-old recent college-graduate Marnie tries to maintain her humor and dignity. Drifting through a series of temp jobs and men, hanging out with her friends, Marnie just can’t seem to get it together…it would be sad if it weren’t so funny.

This heartfelt, intelligent look at real life has made director Andrew Bujalski, winner of the Someone to Watch Award at the Independent Spirit Awards, a filmmaker to expect great things from.

Current and upcoming Wellspring Home Entertainment releases include Jonathan Caouette’s critically acclaimed landmark documentary Tarnation which was executive produced by Gus Van Sant and John Cameron Mitchell, French master Jean-Luc Godard's latest Notre Musique, Academy Award winner Jessica Yu’s In the Realms of the Unreal: The Mystery of Henry Darger, Andrew Bujalski's indie hit Funny Ha Ha; Anders Ronnow Klarlund's stunning animated feature Strings; the powerful Italian war drama El Alamein by award-winner Enzo Monteleone; Michael and Me, Larry Elder's provocative counter-argument to Michael Moore's 'Bowling for Columbine.'

Wellspring is one of the leading distributors of arthouse films in America. Current and upcoming releases include Jacques Audiard's thriller The Beat That My Heart Skipped starring Romain Duris; Arnaud Desplechin's critically acclaimed Kings and Queen; Rupert Murray's amnesia documentary Unknown White Male, Steve James' documentary Reel Paradise about John Pierson and his family's year in Fiji running a movie theatre and Thomas Vinterberg's Dear Wendy written by Lars Von Trier and starring Jamie Bell, Michael Angarrano, Mark Weber and Bill Pullman.

Together, the Wellspring Home Video and Worldwide Sales libraries boast over 700 titles including major works by François Truffaut, Jean-Luc Godard, Eric Rohmer, Luchino Visconti, Rainer Werner Fassbinder, Hou Hsiao-Hsien, The Taviani Brothers, Peter Greenaway, Jacques Demy, Akira Kurosawa, Pedro Almodóvar, Michelangelo Antonioni and Lina Wertmüller among others. Wellspring Media, Inc. is a division of American Vantage Media Corporation, a recently acquired, wholly owned subsidiary of Genius Products, Inc.

About Genius Products, Inc.Genius Products, Inc. (OTCBB:GNPI) produces and distributes affordable entertainment products including DVDs and CDs. Its products are sold in retail outlets nationwide under well-known brands including AMC®, TV Guide®, Wellspring, IFILM®, Sundance Channel Home Entertainmentÿ, Bazooka®, Jay Jay The Jet Plane®, National Lampoon®, The Twilight Zone, Baby Genius®, Tonka®, My Little Pony®, Curious George® and Paddington Bear. Genius Products also licenses the Baby Genius brand to third-party companies for a variety of products including books, apparel and infant care products. Promotional partners include the world famous San Diego Zoo®, Gerber®, Fazoli’s® and Child® Magazine.

Safe Harbor Statement Except for historical matters contained herein, the matters discussed in this news release are forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements reflect assumptions and involve risks and uncertainties, which may affect Genius Products‚ business, forecasts, projections and prospects, and cause results to differ from these forward-looking statements. Actual results could vary for many reasons, including but not limited to, the timely development and acceptance of new products, the market demand for independent films and general market conditions. Other such risks and uncertainties include Genius Products‚ ability to grow its business, to obtain additional licenses, to meet anticipated release schedules and other matters, which are described in its filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Genius Products assumes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances occurring after the date of this press release.

www.wellspring.com/homevideo

Funny Ha Ha
Street Date:August 16, 2005
Pre-book Date:July 13, 2005
SRP DVD:$26.98
DVD Catalog #:FLV5465
Running Time:90 minutes
Rating:Not Rated
Language:English