SANTA MONICA, Calif., Aug. 7 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Lionsgate , the leading independent filmed entertainment studio, and the American
Red Cross, one of the nation's largest blood collection organizations,
today announced a formal partnership for the Fourth Annual SAW "Give Til It
Hurts" blood drive benefiting the Red Cross. The blood drive will coincide
with the Halloween premiere of the latest title in Lionsgate and Twisted
Pictures' SAW franchise, SAW IV, which opens nationwide on October 26,
2007. The announcement was made jointly by Lionsgate Co-Presidents of
Theatrical Marketing Tim Palen and Sarah Greenberg and Gregory S. Ballish,
Senior Vice President, Biomedical Services, American Red Cross.
    "Working with Lionsgate Entertainment provides the American Red Cross
an opportunity to expand its support of blood donation," said Ballish. "On
behalf of the patients we serve, we thank Lionsgate and the SAW franchise
for their commitment to our blood program and look forward to a successful
campaign."
    "We are honored that the American Red Cross has chosen to partner with
Lionsgate on a national level to manage this year's blood drive," said
Palen and Greenberg. "For the past three years, we have seen how eager
young people are to support the Red Cross and its life-saving mission, and
the SAW IV blood drive will give them more opportunities than ever."
    The SAW "Give Til It Hurts" blood drive has become a key element of the
SAW franchise, as much a part of the horror hit's annual rituals as its
Halloween premiere date. Since the first SAW blood drive in 2004, SAW
filmgoers have donated nearly 38,000 pints of blood to help save as many as
112,500 lives. Collection totals have doubled year after year: during the
2004 inaugural drive, 4,200 pints were collected, in 2005, 10,000 pints
were collected, and in 2006, 23,493 pints were collected, resulting in tens
of thousands of lifesaving blood transfusions.