Abel Raises Cain on Amazon VOD

I almost spit coffee all over my computer screen when I saw our movie on the Amazon VOD home page this past week. Amazon is spotlighting ABEL RAISES CAIN through a major PR campaign initiative headed by Indieflix. I knew it was coming...some sort of Summer Indies promotion, I was told. But I really didn't expect to see our documentary sandwiched in between Religulous, Grey Gardens and Man on Wire. I'm not just name-dropping well-known documentary titles here, I promise. I'm pointing out the fact that it's the ultimate form of acknowledgment to even be on the same page as these other films.

It's like I took an 11-year nap and only dreamed about crazy mutated things and making a movie about my parents. And then I was quickly dumped into an awakened state in 2009, thrust before a computer monitor only to find that our film is in the top 100 VOD titles and # 13 in Independent Film. Feeling bewildered, I can't help but wonder, Is this movie about my silly parents really being viewed at this high a level? Or are the numbers rigged like the lottery? I mean, we're potentially talking about thousands and thousands of eyeballs.




The bad news is that the spotlight only lasts so long. People consume what's on their plate. And then back to the musty closet filled with cobwebs we go. Yes, it's sad. But like my father used to bang into my head when I was younger, "Jennifer, nothing good lasts forever." These words still haunt me.

How do we stay afloat and in the minds of viewers in an attention-deprived society where there is so much media to consume? It helps to have a tireless, competent and transparent distribution company on our side, this much I know (Thank you, Indieflix). Subject matter is important, too (Thank you, Alan Abel). Having a supportive partner in crime is also invaluable (Thank you, Jeff Hockett). And I guess the fact that I refuse to give up this race that lacks a defined finish point helps (Thanks again to Alan Abel for passing down his gumption genes).