MovieChat Forums > Radio Free Albemuth (2014) Discussion > Dear Urubian ('I Give Up')

Dear Urubian ('I Give Up')

posted 13 years ago by Simon50
9 replies | jump to latest

Dear Urubian (and all) - I really do appreciate your interest in Radio Free Albemuth. I adapted and directed the film and have about three years of hard and totally unpaid work on it because I love Philip K. Dick and the opportunity to finally make a project that we were trying to get financed for close to ten years.

I understand your impatience to see the movie. But believe me it can't match my own impatience - for the movie to be released in theatres and then DVD.

So please do not be publicly negative about the film. It only makes the job of getting the movie out harder. Buzz travels. We've been pleased by the enthusiastic reception the film has gotten at film festivals. You'll get to judge the movie for yourself when it comes out later this year which I promise you personally it will. Some people will love it - some will loathe it. That's the nature of things. I don't take the praise or knocks personally. But I do ask for the film to be given a fair chance. Hey, It''s not the movies fault that it's taking a long time to get out there. I'm sure you've seen and loved many movies that you didn't even discover until decades after they were made.

The movie takes place in the 1980's as you may know, so whether it comes out in 2010 or 2011 is really not all that important. What's important is that we get the movie right and the distribution plan right.

And maybe the timing is right -- The PKD scholar David Gill wrote very favorably this week on the film on his website Total Dickhead talking about the relevance of RFA to the Egyptian uprising.

http://www.radiofreealbemuth.com/blog/?p=2159

Proud to say he called the movie an "awesome adaptation." The themes of the values of the individual against the supremacy of the state have never been more timely. That's the magic of Philip K. Dick.

In November 2010, we won Best Picture-Director's Choice and Best Actor Awards at the Sydney Science Fiction & Fantasy Film Festival, Fantastic Planet.

So why the big delay in getting the movie out in the U.S?

You may not realize it, but the indie film world has been in a nose-dive since we made the film at the end of 2007. Also - Post and SFX took a lot longer to get right. And we are attempting to figure out a way to finance the marketing of the movie that makes sense and can be cost effective.

If you check out the website, you'll see that there are frequent posts. If you go the Radio Free Albemuth movie page on Facebook - which I appreciate if you would - and "like" the film, you will see constant updates. We have well over 1000 fans. Please join us and help spread the word - this is how indie films do make it into a tough, crowded marketplace.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Radio-Free-Albemuth/108779869153969

By the way, our foreign sales company Seven Arts makes a wide range of films. They also will be producing Neuromancer as an upcoming project. Past movies include Asylum with Natasha Richardson and The Believer with Ryan Gosling. I haven't seen Night of the Demon, but maybe it's good (or not). I do know that the people who run Seven Arts are smart and care about movies. I remember an actor telling me about a movie he'd just filmed that sounded like the worst movie ever made - about a guy with short term memory loss who tattoos reminder notes for himself all over his body. The actor was Guy Pearce and the movie was Memento. One of my favorite films of the last ten years. As William Goldman said about the movie business - "Nobody knows anything."

So we all just will have to wait and see. You'll have to wait to see the movie and I'll have to wait to find out what you all think of it. I can't wait!

[–] Littlemicki 13 years ago

I think that's so cool you came to let everyone know about the movie Simon50! I'm looking forward to it, my favorite singer Alanis Morisette and my favorite actress Ashley Greene. I think it will be great.

[–] VincentBL 13 years ago

Seems like most of the economy has been in a nosedive since the end of 2007 so the delay makes sense for a quality film that isn't made by the big companies. I've heard very good things about this from a few people who've been fortunate enough to see RFA. The trailer and some other scenes I've watched have impressed me very favorabley. I'll be as patient as I can but once it hits the theaters I'm going to wherever it shows up first within 50 miles of home.

A PKD film that's really an adaptation of the source material is something to celebrate. I hope it will be a big financial success and encourage more high quality adaptations of his work.

[–] Simon50 13 years ago

Hey, Vincent:

That's the kind of impatience we like!!!

all best,
john alan simon

[–] VincentBL 13 years ago

Hi Simon50,

Is there a possibility of advance showings at more than one theater in a general area before general release?

When RFA was in Seattle I was hoping it would also play at a theater to the south in Olympia, WA which has one or two art/indie type theaters. One for certain on 4th Street downtown and it might have booked RFA for more than a one day showing. Oly would have been close enough to travel to, has a receptive population for such a film and is sort of the crossroads of I-5 and Highway 101 so is conveniently located for many people. It also has a major newspaper, The Olympian, which is perhaps the second most widely read Washington newspaper still being published. If possible, showings at places like this might attract more attention and favorable publicity helping get general distribution of the film.

Just a thought,

VBL

[–] waste_ 13 years ago

thank you for your incredible effort.
i cannot wait to see this!

http://blog.ieatpants.com

[–] BleedingRed77 12 years ago

Mr.Simon, I just discovered your movie's existence an hour ago. I wrote to Urubian explaining my sympathy with his frustration but also detailing how the movie being "OLD" is ridiculous as PDK's ideas are always relevant...I am travelling through the comments chronologically, to gather as much information and to "feel" the strain the sometimes seemingly never-ending process of taking a script through production and post and film festivals and then distribution can be. I am a filmmaker as well, though my films have been solely self-financed, basically rendering them "no budget" films. I have worked on projects for 4-5 years just to make them and to have a hometown screening for 500 people as the only reward. So I am deeply sympathetic to your plight. It is hard to imagine working that long and hard on one idea with only little crumbs of reward to keep you moving towards the ultimate payoff. You have a responsibility to those that invested time, energy, money, belief, heart etc. (including yourself) to see the film get it's just due. You also have a bit of an obligation to the great Phillip K. Dick and his legacy, to see your struggle through to it's proper end. I am curious how you weren't able to secure a satisfying marketing/distribution deal with the great review in Variety (and other places) as well as the success on the festival circuit. I really hope by the end of these Comments, I will be shown a way to see your film. I love cinema, and I love PDK, and your film seems like a true adaptation of his work - which is rare in my experience. Good luck to you and your quest...for/from all of us!

I would also like to briefly note that this obsession with FACEBOOK is the kind of thing PDK warns against. The fact that businesses often have deals/specials that can only be accessed through FACEBOOK is just another attempt to shuttle us all into the same pen. I do understand the benefits of the social media site, but would never make that my primary source of delivering information to those concerned. I am not sure if this still applies to your movie or not, but perhaps you may think about it and apply it to your next project. It seems that if you have a website devoted to your movie alone, than that should be the primary source of information sharing - as the people that go to that address are going there for only one reason, information about your film. To me, the FACEBOOK page could be a weekly update if the "real" page (the website) were a daily update. I am wary of any group or device that society so strongly tries to force you to become a member/user of. When you include that FACEBOOK is the great gatherer of information, I am even more resistant to it's charms, rewards, conveniences. I know I am being tallied and assessed in so many other ways by other things the moment I jump onto a computer, but I have to try to make it at least a little bit difficult for them. I hope I don't sound paranoid. I actually don't believe anyone is consciously compiling in the ways that this post suggests, but I am even more sure that nobody is going to hit "DELETE" on all of the information being accumulated. The natural extension of that thought is obvious - at some point somebody will come along and have access and the ability to gather all of the information from all of the sources, itemize it, then find a way to use the information for potentially nefarious means. The information will be the power, and I have no idea whether that person is going to be a good guy or a bad guy...Maybe I have read too many Phillip K. Dick stories?

BTW, I know you wrote "If you check out the website, you'll see that there are frequent posts. If you go the Radio Free Albemuth movie page on Facebook - which I appreciate if you would - and "like" the film, you will see constant updates. We have well over 1000 fans. Please join us and help spread the word - this is how indie films do make it into a tough, crowded marketplace. " If I interpreted your words incorrectly, please correct me. I wrote what I wrote based primarily on the four words "frequent posts" and "constant updates". Which implies to me, that one is given more attention than the other. Anyway, good luck with all that you do, and I can hardly wait to see your film - it sounds great!

the only thing i could do was be me and keep on keeping on, like a bird that flew...

[–] Simon50 12 years ago

Hi, Bleeding Red:

Your points are very well-taken. We are not any more fond of Facebook than you seem to be.

In fact, perhaps even less so As an "individual" on Facebook you can see ALL your friends.

As a "fan page" like Radio Free Albemuth - Movie you can't even see all the people who "like" your page - or even communicate to all of them - without paying exorbitant fees to Facebook.

BUT - more and more, websites for movies are becoming outmoded. Many companies and films don't even bother any more.

We will keep updating the website - but for daily communications with friends of Radio Free Albemuth - Facebook is really the only practical choice. The email list generated by website sign-ups is small compared to the Facebook likes. We don't want to deluge people with emails - and readers tend more to read the Facebook posts as they "feed" onto their own page.

But please do sign up on the website and we will endeavor to keep you posted. No spam from RFA. Promise.

The great review in Variety was a shot in the arm but does not create great distribution companies. this is a big topic to discuss - but suffice it to say that if your indie film is not a winner at Sundance and does not get picked up by Fox Searchlight or Focus - than your choices become very narrowed.

Some of the RFA filmmakers are themselves very knowledgeable and experienced in distribution and are in the process of evolving a distribution plan that will be fueled by PKD fan enthusiasm; We want to try to demonstrate that the careful nurturing of films can pay off in the marketplace.

[–] BleedingRed77 12 years ago

Simon50, I just wanted to thank you for your following up on my post on this thread. It re-enforces to me your passion and dedication to the film you made that you create time enough to adjust perception's as well as acknowledge those that show interest. I will eagerly await the time that I get to see your film, whether it is in the following year or 15 years down the road (we all hope it's not that long, but if it happens to fly that way, I will still be on the edge of my seat in anticipation as the opening credits begin). I intend to check out the WebPage and sign in so any updates will be sent my way. Keep up your spirits and continue fighting the good fight, I am certain the payoff will be sweet and worthwhile in the end...

the only thing i could do was be me and keep on keeping on, like a bird that flew...

[–] bruce-129 10 years ago

Good movie, just saw it tonight on Amazon streaming.

One question though, does it have subtitles or not? It's a bit hard to hear the dialog, so I turned on the subtitles and nothing happened even though it said they are there?

It was a good movie that reminded me of reading PKD's works.