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DVD Tour: Indie Film Hits the Road
23 Sep
Summary
- A single DVD of 'Handle With Care' travels across the US.
- The physical case includes keepsakes and handwritten viewer reviews.
- The film bypasses traditional festivals for a grassroots tour.
Writer/director Matthew James Thompson's debut feature, "Handle With Care," is touring the United States via a single, traveling DVD. Since April, this unique physical media project has journeyed from New York to California, passing from one viewer to the next.
The heavy black case contains the film's sole DVD, a portable player, cables, instructions, collected keepsakes, and handwritten reviews from everyone who has watched the divorce-themed comedy.
Thompson and producer Ashim Ahuja developed this grassroots distribution strategy to circumvent the challenges of the current film festival circuit, which they describe as increasingly prioritizing established projects.
"Handle With Care" premiered at the Rhode Island International Film Festival, winning two awards, including Best Feature Film. The film's unconventional distribution began after it struggled to secure traditional festival placements and distribution deals.
Approximately 90 people have signed up for the "Handle With Care" DVD Club, which is managed through its website. The project, which cost $521 to launch, aims to create a tangible experience, replicating a "Blockbuster experience" in a digital age.
Thompson sees this as a way to build something "unable to be affected by an algorithm." The film will also have a public screening at the Newport Beach Film Festival in October.
