Michael Moore to Release "Slacker Uprising" Online

Michael Moore says he’ll release his new film online — and for free. Says he was inspired by similar offerings from Neil Young and Radiohead.

Slacker Uprising follows Moore’s 62-city tour during the 2004 election to rally young voters. It will be available for three weeks as a free download to North American residents, beginning Sept. 23.

Instead of releasing the film theatrically, as he did with 2004’s Fahrenheit 9/11, he opted to give something back to his fans. “I thought it’d be a nice way to celebrate my 20th year of doing this, and also help get out the vote for November,” Moore said. “I’ve been thinking about what I want to do to help with the election this year.”

More after the jump…

The 97-minute long film will be the first major film to be released this way. Last December, Jackass 2.5 was streamed online for free, but that was only a collection of left over material from Jackass 2.

It’s a fairly new distribution tactic, but one that’s becoming more trendy. Last year, Radiohead released their seventh album, “In Rainbows,” online with optional pricing. In 2006, Neil Young streamed his anti-war album, Living With War, for free before its standard release.

And companies like ClickStar, co-founded by Morgan Freeman, have made films still in theaters – such as 2006’s 10 Items or Less – digitally available for purchase or rental.

Moore said that “Slacker Uprising” cost about $2 million to make and that he will end up paying about $1 million out of his pocket. Neither he nor the distributor, Brave New Films, plan to profit from the release.

Sign up for the download at www.SlackerUprising.com. A “Night of a Thousand House Parties” is planned for Oct. 4, when local neighborhood screenings are hoped to be scheduled. A DVD will be released Oct. 7.

Moore last week released a paperback book, Mike’s Election Guide 2008, and is currently working on a movie for theatrical release next year. While he declined to say much about it, the film is expected to examine America as an empire.

Image: Jane Boursaw, 2008; Slacker Uprising, Genius Products, 2007