MATCHMAKERS
USA (2007) 96 minutes
DIRECTOR: Paul Mathieu
WRITER: Paul Mathieu
World Premiere
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An exploration of matchmaking and the pursuit of love, MATCHMAKERS reveals the business of finding a mate. Love and romance no longer depend on the organic rudiments of chemistry, foolish behavior and bumbling dates. Today, mail-order brides, trips to the local matchmaker, and evenings in front of the computer are feasible options in the ever-growing matchmaking industry. Featuring the story of Scott Rose of Computer Geek, MATCHMAKERS traces the contemporary history of matchmaking as a business. From a Russian bride agency to an arranged marriage in India, MATCHMAKERS tells all.

PRESS RELEASE

“MATCHMAKERS” WORLD PREMIERE AT SANTA BARBARA INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL

Santa Barbara filmmakers investigate the social history of matchmaking and the pursuit of love

Premiere screening: January 26th, 4pm, Marjorie Luke Theatre

(Santa Barbara, CA, January 15, 2008) – One basic need has driven mankind for centuries: love.

After three years in the making, local filmmakers, Paul Mathieu, Mike Braniger, Annie Crawley, and Dana Morrow are releasing their feature documentary that offers an inside look at the big business of matchmaking. Written and directed by Mr. Mathieu, “MATCHMAKERS” explores the contemporary history of matchmaking, starting with the psychoanalytical profiling and university studies that gave rise to modern Internet dating sites and traditional services. Featured stories include that of Scott Rose, a computer geek looking for his soul mate; a Russian bride from Moscow; Shoshanna Rikon, from Shoshanna's Matches, and a California girl that allows her friends to set her up on blind dates in hopes of meeting the perfect man. The results will surprise audiences.

“MATCHMAKERS” also features some of the largest online dating services, such as FriendFinder.com, and a class action lawsuit filed against Match.com. Interviewees include national radio host Delilah, relationship authors including Santa Barbara’s own Barbara De Angelis, the nation’s top sociologists (UCSB’s John and Janice Baldwin), and other experts in their respective fields who shed light on this cultural phenomenon. From a shopping mall selling Vietnamese brides in Singapore, to a computerladen basement in Littleton, Colorado, “MATCHMAKERS” tells all.

The premiere screening is set for 4pm, Saturday, January 26, as part of the 2008 Santa Barbara International Film Festival. The Marjorie Luke Theatre will host the event at 721 East Cota Street.

Remaining tickets will be available at the screening, but are recommended in advance through the film festival’s box office at the Lobero Theatre (805-963-0761). A second screening will be held at 4pm, Monday, January 28, at the Center Stage Theater in the Paseo Nuevo shopping center.

The director and producers of the film are available for questions and answers. Attending the event will be the film’s main subjects and local talent that contributed to the film’s production, including illustrator Jerry Mahoney, graphic artist John Oliver, sound editor Sjoerd Koppert, and rappers from the group “NonP”. Local composer Craig Dobbin will also be available for questions regarding his diverse score for the film. The narrator, actor James Clark, will be in attendance and available for interviews. The film features several Santa Barbara locations and local subjects in addition to subjects from across the world.

“MATCHMAKERS” is scheduled to appear in several other film festivals throughout the US. The film’s screening list will be updated shortly and available for release. If you would like more information about this film, or to schedule an interview with Shoshanna Rikon, please contact the press contact, Shoshanna Rikon or call Shoshanna Rikon directly at (212-292-4403).