The makers of Come and Get Me are putting Australian film distributors on notice, as they self-distribute their low-budget horror flick.
“It’s a lot of work, but it's not impossible,” says the producer Dominic Crisci.
When the alternative is ending up going straight-to-DVD the choice seemed simple: “we crunched the numbers and we’re cool doing it this way.”
Their distribution plan started with a list of Independent cinemas supplied by an email from the Independent Cinemas Association of Australia.
“Then I got myself an unlimited phone plan and started calling them,” Crisci laughs.
Currently he has secured cinema screenings in all capital cities (excluding Hobart) – Crisci and director Chris Sun will pay for some of the screenings, while others were offered pro-bono.
With a classic indie attitude, the duo plan to get 20,000 cinema seats filled on their own steam “without any assistance from anyone and two hard drives.”
Crisci is not keen to offer advice to anyone considering following in his footsteps, but repeats, “at the very least, what’s the worst that can happen”?
Ironically, this is the same approach that the four heroines of Come and Get Me take before ending their girls’ night out at the mercy of Australia’s three most sadistic serial killers. But audiences will have to wait until early next month to see how either gamble pays off.
Sun and Crisci have a further three projects in various stages of pre-production, and Crisci will make his directorial debut later this year with a self-funded short.
Screenings – with more to be announced soon – include:
Brisbane: Tribal Theatre in George Street, Brisbane April 1st, 2nd and 3rd
Adelaide: Greater Union Megaplex at Marion, Adelaide April 13th
Melbourne: The Astor Theatre, St. Kilda, Melbourne May 3rd
Darwin: Darwin City Birch, Carroll and Coyle, Darwin May 4th
Canberra: Greater Union at Manuka, Canberra May 9th
Sydney: Chauvel Palace Cinema, Paddington, Sydney May 10th
Perth: Event Cinemas at Innaloo, Perth May 16th