A shot from Idiots & Angels

I'm now moving into Phase II of my brilliant military campaign to spread the word about my animated feature film premier in NY and LA.  This week, I've called up all my writer friends and press associates who have contacts with the media. 

A shot from Idiots & Angels.

So things are going smoothly – I'm setting up a number of signings and showings in LA and NY.  Then I'm talking on the phone to Tom Akel of MTV who's setting up a new animation web channel (he even wants to bring back Liquid Television) and wants to do some interviews and maybe show some of my shorts, when I get this panicked call from my NY press agent;  the dynamo Phyllis Bishop. 

Turns out another cinema is playing Idiots and Angels and IFC is very angry because they thought they had an exclusive run of the film in NYC.  So I freak out because I don't want to alienate the IFC and I have no idea who else could be showing my film.  I go online and discover that Cinema Village is opening Idiots and Angels on exactly the same weekend! 

A shot from Idiots & Angels.

I've narrowed my list of available NYC indie cinemas to 2: IFC Center and Cinema Village.  Both are quite good and have a history of showing animated films. Both theaters seemed interested in Idiots & Angels, so I sent each booker a screener of the film plus the great reviews it got from Variety and The Village Voice.  My plan, and I do have a plan, everybody should have a plan, is this…

So I've decided to self distribute Idiots & Angels.  The biggest hurdle is finding a cinema in NYC.  There are a whole lot of films looking for cinemas and not a whole lot of cinemas, so the trick is the find one that suites my audience.  Animation fans.