Infest Wisely: Now on DVD

The lo-fi sci-fi movie I wrote and co-produced last year is now coming out as a DVD, complete with commentary from all seven directors with DIY no-budget filmmaking tips and tricks. To launch it we’re having a screening at the Royal Cinema, one of the last grand independent theatres in the city, Thurs. May 15th at 9pm (608 College, $10). This’ll be the first time it’s screened in Toronto since the amazing advance screening we did at Innis. There’ll be a q & a with the directors afterwards and as a bonus we’re also showing the premiere of “Luggage”, Craig Macnaughton’s new short. Craig did a great job with the design of the DVD and revamped the Infest Wisely trailer with all the great quotes we got from the media. Check out the official press release and the cover art below.

TORONTO, ON – April 30th, 2008 – For Immediate Release

Infest Wisely, a lo-fi sci-fi movie about chewing-gum delivered nanotechnology, is coming out on DVD May 15th with a launch screening at The Royal Cinema.

The movie was shot in Toronto for $700 by seven directors, each contributing one episode to the intertwining story, all written by indie producer Jim Munroe.

“It’s been all over the continent at this point,” said Munroe, “We were flown out for the world premiere at a hacker convention in Las Vegas, it was shown under a bridge at a bike-in in Montreal, it was screened at a new media festival in Vancouver and a political science fiction conference in Chicago. But this will be the first time since the sneak preview that we’ll be screening it in Toronto, and we’re super excited it’s showing at the Royal.”

The Royal, one of the last independent cinemas in the city, is a College Street institution that was recently saved and renovated back to its art deco glory. “There’s nothing like seeing a movie in a theatre,” said Craig Macnaughton, who co-produced and directed one of the Infest Wisely episodes. “The lights go down, the sound of the people around you… it’s a great experience.”

But the creators haven’t limited the movie’s distribution to theatrical screenings. Thousands of people have downloaded the movie via BitTorrent and podcast from www.infestwisely.com. Then why bother with a DVD version? “It’s kind of funny — it’s costing twice as much to press the DVD as it did to shoot the movie,” Munroe pointed out, going on to explain that sponsored screenings allowed them to raise the funds required. “But as a physical object it gets out into the world in a completely different way, and to different people.”

Munroe has released videos via his website and on disc and so has a basis for comparison — in fact he’s worked in so many formats and mediums he’s been dubbed “a pop culture provocateur” by the Austin Chronicle. “It was also fun to get to include director’s commentaries from everyone.” The audio track includes do-it-yourself tips and tricks from each of the directors, who all have different takes on indie filmmaking.

The DVD is being distributed by KRK Media, based out of Waterloo, ON with over a hundred retail clients across Canada. “They really understood the spirit of the project,” Munroe said. “They distro a really eclectic mix — everything from B-movies like the Troma films to docs like End of Suburbia to arthouse movies that don’t get wide release. Since Infest Wisely is somewhere between B-movie and arthouse, it’s a good match.”

Thurs. May 15, 9pm
The Royal (608 College St, Toronto)
$10 admission or $15 admission and DVD

REVIEWS

“Infest Wisely is a great lo-fi sci-fi nanopunk flick” -Wired.com

“If only there were more people like Jim Munroe making movies like Infest Wisely.” -The Globe and Mail

“The film is chock full of interesting ideas and images.” -The Toronto Star

For more reviews: http://infestwisely.com/news.html
For more background: http://infestwisely.com/about.html
For the trailer: http://infestwisely.com/trailer.html
For the presskit: http://infestwisely.com/presskit.html

CONTACT

Screeners available upon request.