'Abel Raises Cain' TOURS THE SOUTH!

We are happy to announce that ABEL RAISES CAIN has been selected to participate in the South Arts Southern Circuit Tour of Independent Filmmakers! Jenny will be traveling with the film throughout the month of February 2011.

For detailed info regarding the screenings, please see ABEL RAISES CAIN Southern Circuit Tour. The final Tour Dates, Venues & Locations are:

Tuesday, February 8, 2011
East Carolina University
Greenville, NC

Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Morris Museum of Art
Augusta, GA

Thursday, February 10, 2011
I. P. Stanback Museum & Planetarium
Orangeburg, SC

Friday, February 11, 2011
New Orleans Afrikan Film and Arts Festival
New Orleans, LA

Saturday, February 12, 2011
Acadiana Center for the Arts
Lafayette, LA

Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Jule Collins Smith Museum of Fine Art
Auburn, AL

Thursday, February 17, 2011
Tupelo Film Commission
Tupelo, MS

Monday, February 21, 2011
O'Keefe Cultural Center/Anderson Museum of Art
Ocean Springs, MS

Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Alys Robinson Stephens Performing Arts Center
Birmingham, AL

Please come out and see the film as it was meant to be seen... with an audience where laughter can be infectious! For further info, please visit: Abel Raises Cain Southern Tour 2011

April Fool's Day is Alan Abel's National Holiday

I'm not sure if this happens to anyone else, but I received this strange email not too long ago:
"Hi Jenny, I was a friend of your dads. Asked me if I wanted to buy the caboose....wanted me to storm the Phil Donahue Show as a terrorist...other stuff....this may seem like a stupid question, but, did your dad die and when? Thanks."

The problem with planting your own obituary in the New York Times prematurely is that nobody knows for sure what the truth is. This was my father's intention. His way of achieving immortality. Thanks to IMDB, emails of this nature are somewhat frequent.

My dad made me eat hair when I was a kid, claiming it was high in protein. He thinks that mothers who breast-feed babies in public are committing indecent acts with their 'naughty nipples.' He formed the KKK Symphony Orchestra to promote a kinder, gentler Klan, founded Omar's School for Begging for those who need cold hard cash and fast, and he promoted Euthanasia Cruises for folks who want to expire with others in luxury.
Yep, that's my dad. Where the fantasy ends and reality begins, no one knows for sure. One thing I do know is that fifty years later, Alan Abel is still cited for concocting one of the most famous pranks in history, The Society for Indecency to Naked Animals, in 1959.

Alan and Jeanne Abel celebrate 50 years together!

I'm trying to imagine what it would be like to be married to the same person for 50 years. It's rare, in this age of soundbytes, to even want to listen to the same person for more than 30 seconds, let alone be with them day and night for 5 continuous decades. With the Abels, it's either true love or complete insanity. Or both. After rethinking that, I believe that being 'crazy' has kept them young. Their relationship centers around a deep friendship combined with a creative partnership and a hauntingly similar sense of humor (which is sick, I might add).

So 9/11/09 is my parents' 50th wedding anniversary. I thought it would be fun to pretend that they've known each other all of their lives, starting from when they were little up to the point at which they first met. I compiled this series of photos in honor of their celebration. Is that weird? Yes, but what do you expect from an Abel?








Happy Anniversary, mom and dad! May you have many more happy and weird years together!


photo by Nikki Audet

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).

hulu's spotlight on ABEL RAISES CAIN

If anyone wonders where the hell we've been and what we're doing...my dad is in the middle of a hoax campaign (still yet to be revealed) and writing his autobiography, also called ABEL RAISES CAIN (we stole the title), I'm working on combining my dad's site with our film's site - the first phase has launched but it's still a MAJOR work in progress. And Jeff and I are continuing to self-distribute and split up the rights to our documentary. The company that's handling our US Digital Distribution, INDIEFLIX, helped us get onto hulu and this week, hulu is spotlighting our movie.

You can check out the Abels guest blog on hulu and there is also an interview that my dad and I did together, if you enjoy reading our babble!




Without a doubt, hulu is the biggest thing that's ever happened to our small indie movie. We edited this thing in our one-room apartment, and we never thought we would make it this far, so Jeff and I are finding this experience to be extremely surreal. The fact that they're advertising our documentary in the animated banner section without any money changing hands or a major studio backing us, is beyond crazy.

We have Indieflix to thank for this, as well as Lance Weiler, Arin Crumley and the people at hulu who happened to like my dad's story enough to give the film a bit of a push.

Below is the full feature. Please feel free to embed and share with anyone who might take an interest in my slightly demented family!