Moving with the times and trends of filmgoers, new Aussie film The Mule will connect cast, crew and its audience in a unique viewing and twitter event on December 7.
The social experience event unites cast, crew, friends and audience members via a hashtag and connects the film audience on a greater scale.
It will follow the digital release of the comedy on November 21, available simultaneously in Australia, the US, Canada, and New Zealand with pre-orders available now through iTunes (the movie trailer is currently trending at #3 in the US).
Trailblazing his way through his debut in directing, producing, editing, writing and starring, Angus Sampson explains the decision that bypasses a cinematic release and focuses on home viewers.
"Film audiences are savvy. They move and evolve and it’s our responsibility to keep up with them," he says. "People engage with content across multiple platforms at a time that suits them. So we’re making it easier for them to watch our stuff.
"The film is set in 1983 in a working class suburb of Victoria, we weren’t sure how this would translate with international audiences.
"When testing the film, over 700 people watched it and the most responsive audience on both sides of the pacific was actually and overwhelmingly mothers.
"It was clear that the mother/son relationship was striking a chord with audiences across the world. It was a demographic that I hadn’t really considered to be as vocal or engaged as they were. So we were really surprised at that. It was really great having those results, it’s a testament to Noni’s performance, amongst everyone’s contribution and elevation of the material.
"As a filmmaker you’re pushed and encouraged to identify your audience early on and break it down. The reality is, I’m not a 17 year old girl, or a 65 year old man … I’m Angus, and Leigh is Leigh. So it’s difficult to say ‘no this is who our movie is for.
"We didn’t make the film to exclude anybody. The only presumption we made, was that this movie is for people who like to be entertained. That’s all we could come up with.”