“Nothing So Strange,” an independently produced faux-documentary chronicling the fictional assassination of Microsoft Corp. founder and Chairman Bill Gates, makes its Internet debut today at the Nothing So Strange Web site. Today also marks the film’s general theatrical premiere: It’s playing at Seattle’s Consolidated Works cinema for a limited run.
The film depicts a world in which Gates was assassinated in 1999; it picks up the story when a group of skeptics called Citizens For Truth work to uncover what they think are conspiracies and plots behind the fictional murder. The movie won kudos from critics when it first debuted last year at the Slamdance film festival (an independent alternative to the more well-known Sundance festival).
Bill Gates-haters should be warned that “Nothing So Strange” doesn’t celebrate the fictional death of Microsoft’s well-known spokesman; instead, the movie’s creator cites controversies like the assassination of ’60s political figures like President John F. Kennedy, Robert Kennedy and civil rights leader Martin Luther King, and the corresponding consipiracy theories that have been created in the wake of those events, as his own inspiration.
Written by “Bat Boy: The Musical” co-writer Brian Flemming, “Nothing So Strange” was produced by Orlando, Fla.-based new media production firm GMD Studios. Haxan Films, the production team behind The Blair Witch Project, served as a consultant on Nothing So Strange as well.
For indie film fans outside of Seattle wanting to take a look at Nothing So Strange, it’ll cost you US$3 for the privilege; you can then grab a small progressive download (about 130MB). Pony up $5 and you can get the 466MB large progressive download version instead. Transactions are handled using Bitpass Inc.’s e-commerce system. The producers note that Nothing So Strange isn’t encrypted using Digital Rights Management (DRM) in any way.
The film itself was compressed using Apple’s own QuickTime 6 technology, and is playable on any Mac or Windows computer equipped with QuickTime 6, according to the producers.