PARTICIPANT MEDIA LAUNCHES SOCIAL ACTION CAMPAIGN FOR THE BEST EXOTIC MARIGOLD HOTEL TO ENCOURAGE PEOPLE OVER 50 TO PURSUE THEIR PASSION FOR COMMUNITY IMPROVEMENT

WILL JOIN ENCORE.ORG AND ROAD SCHOLAR TO INTRODUCE THE “MARIGOLD IDEAS FOR GOOD” CONTEST THOSE WHO ENTER CAN WIN $5,000 GRANTS AND THE TRIP OF A LIFETIME Inspired by the Fox Searchlight-Participant Media film The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, opening in the U.S. on May 4, Participant Media will join forces with two leading non-profit organizations, Encore.org and Road Scholar, for a social action campaign building on the film’s themes of hope and reinvention in the second half of life. The national campaign, “Discover the Marigold Effect,” will encourage people over 50 to pursue their passions to improve lives in their communities. In addition to showcasing motivational stories and opportunities for community engagement, the campaign will introduce “The Marigold Ideas for Good Contest,” which will provide thirty $5,000 grants to people over 50 with ideas to make life in their communities better and five travel adventures sponsored by Road Scholar. Chad Boettcher, EVP of Social Action said, “The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel celebrates the joy, excitement and fulfillment that comes when people uproot themselves from the environment they’ve always known and immerse themselves in a completely different culture. Our social action campaign will offer an array of possibilities for adventure, contribution, and purpose for those over 50.” “The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel is a re-coming of age movie,” said Marc Freedman, founder and CEO of Civic Ventures/Encore.org, a think tank on boomers, work and social purpose. “We’re pleased to help judge a contest that provides people with a chance to do more than just dream about what they’d really like to do in their encore years.” “Road Scholar’s not-for-profit mission to inspire adults to learn, discover and travel aligns perfectly with Participant Media’s campaign,” said James Moses, Road Scholar’s President and CEO. “Road Scholar travel adventures and service learning opportunities will be awarded to five grand prize winners, who will not only enjoy the experience of a lifetime, but will meet others like themselves, people dedicated to positively engaging with and impacting the world.” The “Marigold Ideas for Good Contest” will award 30 empowerment grants of $5,000 each to people over 50 who have ideas to improve their communities and help others live happy, healthy lives. Entries will demonstrate passion to address community challenges and can focus on topics including education, the environment, poverty, employment, human rights and health. Beginning in April, and continuing each month for six months, five contestants will be selected as winners, with one of the five also receiving a Road Scholar educational adventure or service-learning experience. Finalists and their entries will be published online, and winners will be determined by a mix of public votes and judging. In addition, Participant Media, in partnership with Encore.org and not-for-profit Road Scholar, will present special screenings of The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel for key influencers, policy makers and community leaders in New York, San Francisco, Boston, and Los Angeles. The Social Action website will direct people to information about issues affecting older adults in our communities like the Older Americans Act, housing, hunger and healthcare via partners like AARP. About The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel Fox Searchlight Pictures Presents, in association with Participant Media and ImageNation Abu Dhabi, a Blueprint Pictures Production, a film by John Madden, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, with a cast including Judi Dench, Maggie Smith, Tom Wilkinson, Bill Nighy, Penelope Wilton, Celia Imrie, Ronald Pickup and Dev Patel. The film is directed by John Madden (Shakespeare in Love) from a script by Ol Parker and based on the novel “These Foolish Things” by Deborah Moggach. The producers are Graham Broadbent and Peter Czernin of Blueprint Pictures. The executive producers are Jeff Skoll and Jonathan King of Participant Media, and Ricky Strauss. The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel follows a group of British retirees who decide to “outsource” their retirement to less expensive and seemingly exotic India. Enticed by advertisements for the newly restored Marigold Hotel and bolstered with visions of a life of leisure, they arrive to find the palace a shell of its former self. Though the new environment is less luxurious than imagined, they are forever transformed by their shared experiences, discovering that life and love can begin again when you let go of the past. About Participant Media Participant Media (participantmedia.com) is an entertainment company that focuses on documentary and narrative feature films, television, publishing and digital content about the real issues that shape our lives. For each of its projects, Participant creates social action and advocacy programs to transform the impact of the media experience into individual and community action. Participant’s online Social Action Network is TakePart (takepart.com). Founded by Chairman Jeff Skoll in 2004, Jim Berk serves as CEO. Participant’s films include The Kite Runner, Charlie Wilson’s War, An Inconvenient Truth, Good Night, and Good Luck, The Visitor, Food, Inc., The Cove, The Crazies, Countdown to Zero, Waiting for “Superman,” Fair Game, PAGE ONE: Inside The New York Times, The Help and Contagion. About Encore.org Encore.org is for people interested in encore careers – jobs that combine personal meaning, continued income and social impact. The site is published by Civic Ventures, a nonprofit think tank on boomers, work and social purpose. Through an inventive program portfolio, original research, strategic alliances and the power of people’s life stories, Civic Ventures demonstrates the value of experience in solving serious social problems – from education to the environment, health care to homelessness. About Road Scholar Not-for-profit Road Scholar’s mission is to inspire adults to learn, discover and travel. Our learning adventures engage expert instructors, provide extraordinary access, and stimulate discourse and friendship among people for whom learning is the journey of a lifetime. Since its inception, more than 5 million people have enrolled in its 6,500 iconic educational adventures offered annually in 50 states and 150 countries around the world. Road Scholar educational adventures are created by Elderhostel, Inc., the not-for-profit world leader in lifelong learning since 1975. To learn more, please visit our website at www.roadscholar.org/press.