In 20 Years, It'll Be Huge.

I was lucky enough to have caught wind of 'Birdemic' at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival...or rather, on the *outskirts* of the 2009 Sundance Film Festival. I was volunteering on behalf of the TromaDance Film Festival, a large part of which consists of DIY promotion, marching up and down the streets of Park City ad nauseam stapling flyer after flyer to every available kiosk and posterboard.

It was impossible to miss the 'Birdemic' van. Every day we were there, there was a minivan parked on one of the main strips, covered in fake blood, stuffed birds and sheets of printer paper taped to the doors that read "WHY DID THE EAGLES AND VULTURES ATTACKED?" among other memorable and grammatically correct catchphrases, as well as a large, hand-written banner across the hood reading "BIDEMIC.COM" [sic]. A surprisingly up-to-date laptop faced out of the passenger-side window, playing the trailer in a shrill, constant loop. Driving the van was none other than director James Nguyen, who would throw out promotional items as if they were candy to the flocks of tourists who would naturally gather around his freakshow of an automobile, gleefully explaining the plot of 'Birdemic' to anyone who would listen in his heavily accented broken English. Those who have seen the trailer will understand just how fun this was to watch every day; not in a pitiable sort of way, mind you...Nguyen's ultra-DIY ethos was sort of inspiring in a way, more so for something that - uncharacteristic for Sundance - looked worthwhile, unpretentious and DIDN'T star Steve Buscemi.

I had the misfortune of missing the 'Birdemic' premiere due to Tromadance-related events, but those who did attend the screening (at a rented out restaurant, if I recall correctly) had been noticeably changed, as if they had been touched by a higher being (those same people are the ones single-handedly responsible for bringing 'Birdemic' to DVD, by the way). One can't properly express how enraptured this small group of people had become with 'Birdemic': after a botched post-premiere premiere (which was detailed here: http://lazloscloset.blogspot.com/2009/01/tales-from-film-festival.html), some resorted to having to act out key scenes before a drunken audience of about 22, and replay the trailer on an iPhone again and again for everyone in the room.

I didn't see 'Birdemic' until much later, when I received a screener copy from a fellow festival chum. What I saw was beyond every one of my expectations, a film quite literally unlike any I've ever seen, both for the best and for the worst. I don't need to get into detail over its contents, as if you're reading this you're already wholly familiar with the film's concept and other unique aspects.

I expect nothing but a massive cult following to bloom for 'Birdemic', something that'll make 'The Room' screenings look like intimate tea parties.