Hartford to Distribute Murderball DVD

The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE: HIG), Hartford, Connecticut, in cooperation with independent film distributor THINKFilm, is launching a special DVD edition of the Oscar-nominated film Murderball to help educate Americans about the physical and financial risks of disability, inform them on the steps they can take to help protect their income, and increase dialogue about disability in the workplace.

Earning a nomination for a 2005 Academy Award in the Best Documentary Feature category, Murderball chronicles the US Wheelchair Rugby Team on its quest for the gold at the 2004 Paralympic Games in Athens, Greece.

The Hartford, the founding sponsor of the US Paralympics, is providing company benefits professionals with the customized DVD of the film, which includes a special feature called "Increasing the Dialogue About Disability." In the feature, Murderball stars Scott Hogsett, Bob Lujano, and Mark Zupan talk about common misconceptions about disability. "Becoming disabled can happen to anyone at any time in life," Zupan says in the video. "It doesn't necessarily take a traumatic accident to become disabled. You can have cancer, chronic back pain or arthritis."

In easy-to-understand terms, the elite athletes explain disability insurance and underscore its importance in protecting one's most important asset the ability to earn a paycheck. "It's like a paycheck while you are disabled," Hogsett says.

Employers are encouraged to screen the four-minute educational segment at benefits enrollment meetings and workplace benefits fairs to help their employees gain a better understanding of their disability insurance coverage.

"The Hartford's Second Annual Disability Literacy Study found that Americans have many misconceptions about disability." said Dick Mucci, executive vice president and director of The Hartford's Group Benefits Division. "We believe Murderball has the power to transform people's thinking about what it means to live with a disability. Our involvement with the film in 2005 made clear its educational potential, and we wanted to leverage that as part of our efforts to educate consumers about the physical and financial risks of disability."

Last summer, thousands of moviegoers saw Murderball at The Hartford-sponsored premieres and special screenings in 10 major U.S. cities.

"We're pleased that The Hartford is helping to bring Murderball to the business community, which is an audience we wouldn't typically reach," said Steve Gould, vice president of Home Entertainment, THINKFilm. "The Hartford has done a great job in bringing the film's core message beyond the sports and entertainment sectors and making it relevant to people in the workplace."

Beginning in March, The Hartford's group benefits sales representatives are providing the special Murderball DVD to insurance professionals who sell The Hartford's group disability insurance. They, in turn, will share the DVD with employers.

For more information, visit www.thehartford.com

Editor's Note: For more in-depth information about the movie, see: "Murderball: Quad Rugby Wheels onto Big Screen," July 2005, www.oandp.com/edge/issues/articles/2005-07_05.asp

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Hartford to Distribute Murderball DVD

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