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Kingston Co-Founder Tu Freedom Writers' Benefactor
Best-selling book now Paramount Pictures' movie opens Friday January 5th

Hsinchu, Taiwa (January 15, 2007) - Kingston Technology, the independent world leader in memory products, today revealed its co-founder John Tu is the benefactor behind the inspiring work of Erin Gruwell, a teacher whose work motivating a group of at-risk teens became the best-selling book, "The Freedom Writers Diary." The book is now a Paramount Pictures' feature film starring Hillary Swank, set to be released in U.S. theatres January 5, 2007.

Passionate about the concepts of giving back and social responsibility, Tu was moved by the spirit of the high school students and their extraordinary efforts in working with Gruwell to learn and thrive amidst challenging circumstances. In addition to buying computers and helping out in a variety of ways, Tu made it possible for the students to visit important places they had been studying such as Auschwitz and war-torn Bosnia.

In the "Freedom Writers" movie, Oscar-winning actress Hillary Swank portrays Gruwell, a young idealistic first-time teacher who takes charge of a volatile group of at-risk high school freshmen. Through Gruwell's innovative teaching methods, integrating music, field trips, and encouraging students to keep journals of their lives surrounded by gang violence, the students came to understand tolerance, forming parallels between historical events and their own experiences. The diaries created by the students provided the basis for the book and eventually the groundwork for the motion picture.

For more information on Kingston Technology and its memory products, please visit the Kingston Web site at: www.kingston.com/asia

"Freedom Writers" FAQ:

  1. Released by Paramount Pictures and MTV


  2. Release Schedule:

    USA: 1/05/07
    UK: 3/02/07
    Australia: 3/22/07
    Singapore: 3/29/07
    Malaysia: 4/12/07
    Thailand: 4/26/07
    Hong Kong: 5/10/07
    Taiwan: 5/12/07
    China, Japan, Korea, Philippines: TBD


  3. Stars Hillary Swank


  4. Written and directed by Richard LaGravenese. Danny DeVito is one of the producers.


  5. Some interesting points about the movie:


    • It took six years to get made.
    • There were 150 students and they all wrote their own little book. The filmmakers took a combination of four or five of the kids' stories to make the movie.
    • In addition to studying the diary of Anne Frank there was another book called "Zlata's Diary," which is the true story of a 14-year-old girl who wrote about her life during the Bosnian war. The students got so into Zlata's incredible story of survival that Zlata was flown to Los Angeles to meet them.
    • What's not in the movie? A year after graduation, Gruwell brought the kids to Auschwitz, Bosnia, and the Anne Frank house. They got to see the places they read about. The director wanted to put this in the movie but could not fit it.
    • The Freedom Writers has a future. Gruwell has pilot programs all over the country helping to teach teachers to inspire kids in a variety of methods.
    • Freedom Writers is an MTV Films production so music also plays a starring role.
About Kingston Technology Company, Inc.

Kingston Technology Company, Inc. is the world's largest independent manufacturer of memory products. Kingston operates manufacturing facilities in Fountain Valley, Calif., Taiwan, China, Malaysia, and including Payton Technology Corp., Kingston's back-end processing facility supporting memory packaging, test and logistics. With the advent of Payton, Kingston supports all memory processing functions from receipt of wafer to completed module. Kingston serves a network of distributors, OEMs, and retail customers in more than 70 countries and 3,000 locations worldwide. For more information on Kingston, please go to www.kingston.com/asia

For additional media information or products for media review, please contact:

Trista Wang
Kingston Technology
Email: trista_wang@kingston.com.tw
URL: www.kingston.com/taiwan


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