Opening Wednesday, September 18th in New York;
Friday, September 20th in LA
A Samuel Goldwyn Films Release

As part of a psychological research project,
you and nineteen other recruits will be divided
up into prisoners and guards. In a controlled
penitentiary-like environment, "Prisoners" are
incarcerated and ordered to obey the rules,
"Guards" are instructed to keep order. You will
be thrown head-first into a two-week long
examination of the effects of assigned roles,
power and control, and you won't be the same
when it's over. But it's just a simulation. Or is it?

Moritz Bleibtreu (from "Run Lola Run" and one of
Germany's biggest stars) is Tarek (A.K.A. Prisoner # 77),
an ex-journalist intrigued by the idea of going undercover for this experiment, positive the ensuing interactions will provide his editor with a fascinating story. At first, the prisoners treat their roles with detached humor and playfulness, and the guards treat theirs with nervous unease. But within hours, small conflicts and petty disputes force all twenty men deeper into their assigned roles. As these trivial skirmishes quickly escalate, the guards must explore any possible means to keep the prisoners in line.

After breaking box office records and rattling audiences throughout Germany, DAS EXPERIMENT was honored with the Audience Awards for Best Picture and Best Actor at the German Film Awards, where Moritz Bleibtreu also won a Grand Jury Prize in gold for artistic achievement. Based on the novel "Black Box" by Mario Giordano, DAS EXPERIMENT is that rare film that makes you wonder how you would behave on either side of the steel bars. The film was helmed by Oliver Hirschbiegel, who went on to receive the Best Director awards at the 2001 Montreal Film Festival and the Bavarian Film Awards respectively.