will sex sell? - Alan Abel @ the Bloor Cinema in Toronto 12/7/08

Our Canadian distributor, films we like, has set up a special day of screenings at the Bloor Cinema on 12/7/08 to kick off our Canadian DVD release next week. ABEL RAISES CAIN will be shown along with my parents' classic mockumentary, IS THERE SEX AFTER DEATH? (1971).

View the trailer of IS THERE SEX AFTER DEATH?

Driving through New York City in his Sexmobile, Dr. Harrison Rogers (Alan Abel) of the Bureau of Sexological Investigation, searches out luminary figures in the world of sex. The legendary fake sex documentary by Alan and Jeanne Abel, "the first really funny R-rated movie ever made...outrageous and brilliant...the sexual revolution raked over the coals!" stars Buck Henry, Robert Downey Sr., Holly Woodlawn, and one-time MAD magazine writer, Earle Doud.

This is a rare exhibition on the big screen not be missed! Alan Abel will be doing Q&As after each screening. Come one, come all!

WHEN:
SUNDAY DEC 7th, 2008 - 2 FILMS for the PRICE of 1!

WHERE:
Bloor Cinema
506 Bloor St West
Toronto, ON M5S 1Y3

Showtimes:
ABEL RAISES CAIN
1:00 (PG)
IS THERE SEX AFTER DEATH?
3:00 (R)
ABEL RAISES CAIN
5:15 (PG)
IS THERE SEX AFTER DEATH?
7:15 (R)

Buck Henry wearing a wig behind the scenes with Iris Brooks...
Alan Abel and Buck Henry, both masters of the art of deadpan...
The SEX OLYMPICS contestants during an intermission...
A therapy session at the Bureau of Sexological Investigation...

abel raises cain on LINK TV

I've used several analogies to describe the life of our film, ABEL RAISES CAIN. The arduous journey making it (7 years+) and our subsequent premiere and unexpected win at Slamdance, I refer to as the 'Tortoise and the Hare' period. What followed was a seemingly unstoppable but slow-paced 'Wounded Race Horse that Kept on Running.' Now I've decided our movie has taken on the form of a Giant Mutant Earthworm - It's lived beyond normal life expectancy, it keeps growing, it travels at a determined albeit wiggly pace, and it has the remarkable ability to continually regenerate itself.

Maybe this analogy doesn't work very well, but the point is...I'm happy to report that interest in my dad's story and his work continues. Last month, he spoke at MIT [Check out the Boston Phoenix article by Ian Sands]. He then traveled to the UK to lecture at the BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art. This past weekend, he was in Concord, New Hampshire at the S.N.O.B. film festival for the screening of his 1974 film, THE FAKING OF THE PRESIDENT. This week (11/13/08), he goes to Troy, NY [The Sanctuary for Independent Media] to host a Q&A following a screening of ABEL RAISES CAIN. Next month, he travels to Toronto for our opening and DVD release party at the Bloor Cinema.

Every time I think that things are winding down to a slow trickle, it starts pouring again. I know how lucky we are to have my dad as a film subject. I mean, you really can't ask for a more interesting person to follow around with a camera. But back to the worm analogy, it's as if the film has regenerated itself on BOTH ends. ABEL RAISES CAIN feeds interest in my father and his work - and people who read or hear about my dad want to see the movie. I am really overjoyed that it's worked out this way.

Incidentally, I think the 'b' in blog stands for babble. So without further ado, if you have not seen the documentary yet and you're interested in finding out more about Alan Abel, please tune your satellite dial to LINK TV [CHANNEL DETAILS ARE HERE] on November 16th, 2008. There are additional broadcasts on November 26th, 29th, and 30th. [ABEL RAISES CAIN AIR TIMES ON LINK TV]

ABEL RAISES CAIN is airing as part of DOC-DEBUT, a series on Link TV highlighting unique and groundbreaking international documentary films. Each week features the U.S. television premiere of a new doc, offering American audiences unprecedented perspectives on world events and culture, as seen through the eyes of individuals across the globe. The series also provides a unique outlet for films by independent directors and producers to reach a much wider international audience.

DOC-DEBUT airs every Sunday at 8:00 pm Pacific and every Saturday at 8:00 Eastern. [Click here] to SEE THE 'ABEL RAISES CAIN' program listing.

alan abel vs. AT&T

I've come to the realization that my dad's performance never ends and he's "in" character more often than he's not. The following should be prefaced with the fact that we all face indignities in life, especially in the age of automation and monopolized corporate control. But my father seems to vent his frustrations in interesting ways...he emailed this to me recently:

IMPORTANT NOTICE FROM AT&T

If line is busy, please hang up and try again. If line is still busy, hang up and try again. Should line continue to be busy, hang up and press REDIAL. If you hear a busy signal, hang up and wait for five minutes. Then dial again. When you hear the rapid buzz of a busy signal, you’ll know that the line is still busy. Wait another five minutes, hold your breath and quickly dial again. You might get lucky and reach a recorded message. Or perhaps a request: Please don’t hang up. We value your call and want to service you (remember, some of our trained specialists like to give our premium services to you up the ass). You are now number 197 on the waiting list. If you hang up you will lose your place. Please be patient because we truly love our customers. Even if you defect to Verizon or one of those other carpetbagger companies, we will try to seduce you into coming back to us. There are gifts waiting for you, disgruntled customer. For example, we have 100,000 toasters from recently failed banking institutions FREE to you. Also, one-million plastic coffee cups from Bear Sterns (only two to a customer) and 50,000 electric blankets we bought from Good Will that they refused to handle (their insurance doesn’t cover lawsuits; so for God’s sake don’t have a nocturnal emission under one of them). Are you still on the line, dear customer? If so, call again and keep trying, keep trying, keep trying, keep trying (that’s a subliminal message dummy). On second thought, why don’t you try us during our lowest level of incoming calls between the hours of l:00 am and 6:00 am. But keep in mind that our office hours are 8:00 am to 6:00 pm EST. Don’t despair. If you don’t mind waiting for two or three hours, we’ll play music to soothe the savage beast on hold. Yes, spendthrift customer, you may use profanity. We understand your frustrations but we really cherish your business more. Our rates might be sneaking upward by a few pennies per account monthly, but you won’t know it for awhile. And this does ease the pain when you’re being screwed. Voila! You have reached a recorded representative in our customer service lounge. Yes, our employees may work for peanuts but they are treated like real people, not recordings. So there! If you’re still with us, please press 1 if you speak English; press 2 if you prefer Spanish, French, Italian, Hebrew, Portuguese, Creole, Romanian, Farsi or Latin. Our international operators are standing by and will handle your crisis in the order that customers are waiting on line. You would be number 937 and we estimate 13 hours for you to be heard. If you wish to nap, eat, do laundry, wash dishes, take a walk or even have sex, we’ll be happy to call you back for an additional charge of $17.50 added to your bill. Press 3 if you would like to hear some music while you wait impatiently. Otherwise, press 4 to learn of our new deals that can cost you more money but make you feel powerful because you have it all! We’re talking about call waiting, call forwarding, call interruption, call answering, call recording and call “up yours” for responding to telemarketers. Also video-phone that will allow you to be seen and to see your caller. Imagine the excitement if you catch your Aunt in the nude. Or Uncle Fred masturbating! Wow, where are the cops when you want them. Hahaha, that was a joke, customers. We like to have a little fun once in awhile. Oh yes, almost forgot. Press 5 if you would like to give up your place on line to the person behind you, also waiting impatiently. It’s a small gesture, customer, but if you do this, call again when you’re in the mood to be played with and be sure to have a nice day. Watch your road rage!

A.T.&T has what it takes, to take what you’ve got. That’s why we love our customers.

virtually fund-raising

Now that From Here to Awesome (see post below) is in full swing, our movie can be streamed or downloaded at IndieFlix, Caachi, Heretic and B-side. More outlets will be added over the coming months. Please stay tuned to our FHTA page.

The cool thing about the fest is that we've worked out a favorable profit split with all of the partner outlets. So not only are we reaching a wider audience via this virtual festival, we're also sharing the returns. A filmmaker actually earning revenue directly in a festival situation is a rarity!

While we continue to market and promote ABEL RAISES CAIN, I'm asking everyone to please help us fund-raise for our next project. All you have to do is click on the image below and sign up for an OurStage account. We receive $4.00 for every person who joins! It sounds crazy, yes. But it's not a hoax, I promise. There are no obligations, you can un-tick the 'receive newsletter' box in the sign-up area if you'd like. And you don't have to do anything other than register!


Thanks to everyone in advance for your help. Our goal is $2,000.00 and so far we're at $4.00. So we definitely need all of the help we can get!

the abels are not finished yet...

While all of Hollywood is scurrying around like a bunch of headless chickens, worrying about the sky falling and the gloomy fate of independent film, especially documentaries, Jeff and I have been calmly jogging along with our movie at a slow yet steady pace, ignoring the chaos around us. And it's finally paying off!


We just found out that ABEL RAISES CAIN made it into the FROM HERE TO AWESOME showcase! We were one of the top 12 features and 10 shorts programmed based on audience demand. Variety announced the news this week: (Thompson on Hollywood). So THANKS to everyone out there who voted for us! We are really excited about this unique opportunity. It is exactly the push we need to get the film out to as wide an audience as possible AND we're really looking forward to seeing where this unprecedented experiment leads us. Please stay tuned...

Also, if there are any LA folks out there who are interested in funding, creating, distributing and sustaining yourselves as filmmakers in these shifting times, please come to DIY days next week. JOIN THE REVOLUTION!

DIY DAYS | fund :: create :: distribute :: sustain
July 26th 9:30am to 7:30pm
Under Spring, 1745 North Spring #4, Los Angeles, CA 90012
For further info, please visit:
http://diydays.com/