This week is HUGE for electric vehicle advocacy.  REVENGE OF THE ELECTRIC CAR RELEASES ON DVD JANUARY 24TH!  And on that very same day the town of Normal, IL will take delivery of 6 electric fleet vehicles from Mitsubishi, as part of the EVtown collaborative- an effort to make Bloomington-Normal, IL a model town for the future of electric cars.  An amazing collective of community groups, businesses, and local government are working together to install charging stations, promote electric vehicles, and get as many EVs as possible on their roads to become a leader in electric vehicle employment.

Later this week, producers from the film will be traveling to Normal, IL for an exciting EVening of EV's on January 26th with a film screening and panel discussion, and about a dozen electric cars on display indoors and out.   If you're in the Normal, IL area, come join us!

But back to the really important stuff... WHERE TO GET THE DVD. 

We are distributing our film independently and have a lot of costs to cover; so we first ask that you purchase the film directly from our distributor, New Video.  This ensures that more of the revenue goes directly to the film, enabling us to take the film and the message of electric vehicles further!  Thanks!  And here is a complete list of where you can get the film, starting January 24th:

New Video
Amazon.com
Barnes and Noble/BN.com
Walmart.com
Bestbuy.com

Also on January 24th, the film will be released on these Video On Demand outlets:

Direct TV VOD
ECHOSTAR IPVOD
Verizon
TVN
Charter
AT&T

Stay tuned for more updates on where you can see the film, and thank you for supporting us and the future of electric vehicles!

After opening a great theatrical run with so many great events, we're proud to announce that "Revenge of the Electric Car" releases on DVD on January 24th, 2012!  We've jammed the DVD with all sorts of special features, including a 35-minute panel discussion after the premiere screening at the Tribeca Film Festival this year- with Chris Paine, Dan Neil, Carlos Ghosn, Elon Musk, and moderated by David Duchovny.  We especially love the moment when Wall Street Journal columnist Dan Neil says, "you're not going to see electric tractor trailers out there any time soon..." and Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk replies, "yes you will," then the crowd cheered.  There are plenty of great discussion topics during this panel presentation.  The DVD also has extra footage, celebrity interviews, and more!

As an independently distributed film we've done a lot of work ourselves to bring this film to you, and we ask that you please consider ordering the DVD directly from our distributor-- which brings more money directly to the filmmakers and less to the middleman.  You can purchase the DVD January 24th HERE.

Or add it to your Netflix queue HERE.

Or order on Amazon.com HERE.

And we've still got plenty of theatrical dates across the country with some great panel discussions, EVs on display at theatres, and other great live-event screening; so check the schedule HERE, which is updated constantly. 

Thank you fans for all your support.  Happy New Year to all, and cheers to a new year getting us closer to getting off oil!

REVENGE is growing strong, playing in theatres across the country, and the reviews have been glowing!  Thank you to everyone who who requested the film in your area- we're still adding more locations and more screenings and putting together some great events for people to meet the filmmakers, the electric cars, and each other. 

 Check out this behind-the-scenes video from our October 21st premiere in Los Angeles:

"Revenge of the Electric Car" Premier in Los Angeles. from Steve Payne on Vimeo.

And tomorrow the film opens in Columbus, OH and Philadelphia, PA!

JOIN US for premiere events at our new theaters the weekend of 11/11, including Q&A's with Director Chris Paine, Former GM Executive (and Revenge star) Bob Lutz and much more. Come out this weekend in Detroit, Ann Arbor, Minneapolis, Seattle, Chicago, San Diego, Houston and Sacramento!

Michigan Theatre, Ann Arbor, MI

• 11/12 - Director Chris Paine to participate in post-show Q&A after 7:00 pm screening

• 11/13 - Director Chris Paine and former Vice Chairman at General Motors, Bob Lutz to participate in post show Q&A after 8:00 pm screening

Lagoon Theatre, Minneapolis, MN

Showtimes - Fri-Tue  2:20, 4:40, 7:00, 9:30 Wed-Thu 2:20, 4:40

• 11/14 - Post Show Q&A with Chris Paine hosted by Fresh Energy at 7:00 pm. 

Varsity Theatre, Seattle, WA

Showtimes - (1:00 3:00 5:00) 7:10 9:40  

• 11/11 - Discussion immediately following film featuring Ross Macfarlane from Climate Solutions, Rich Feldman from Ecotality and Sandra Pinto de Bader from the Seattle Office of Sustainability and Environment

Gene Siskel Film Center, Chicago, IL

Showtimes: -Fri. (11) at 6:00, Sat, 4:45 pm and 8:30 pm, Sun. 3:00 pm and 5:30 pm, Mon., 8:15 , Tue. (15) at 6:00 pm, Wed. 8:15 pm ,Thu., 6:15 pm, 8:15 pm

11/11 - Panel Discussion following 6:00 pm screening featuring:

• James Salle, PhD Asst Professor at Harris School of Public Policy, U of Chicago

• Jack Darin, Director, Sierra Club Illinois Chapter

• Stefano Durdic, Executive Producer, Revenge of the Electric Car

• Moderated by Sarah Jindra, Traffic Reporter for WBEZ-FM Chicago Public Radio

Ken Cinema, San Diego, CA

Showtimes - 2:00, 4:00, 6:00 8:00 10:00

• 11/11 - California Center for Sustainable Energy hosting opening night event at 6pm  

Alamo Theatre, Mason Park, Houston, TX

Showtimes - Fri. 7:00 pm, Sat: 7:00, Sun: 8:00 pm

• 11/11 - Houston Electric Auto Association hosting event 7:00 pm. 

• Electric DeLorean car will showcased outside the theatre

Crest Theatre, Sacramento, CA

Showtimes - Fri-Sun 12:00 2:30 7:30, Mon-Thu 7:30

• 11/13 -Sacramento Electric Vehicle Association hosting event

JOIN US for our premiere events this weekend, including Q&A's with Director Chris Paine and Greg "Gadget" Abbott at the theater along with appearances by Tesla executives and much more! Come out this weekend in San Francisco, Berkeley, Palo Alto, San Rafael and San Jose:

 

Landmark Embarcadero - San Francisco

Daily Showtimes: 12:15  2:50  5:10  7:30  9:45 

• Appearance by Greg Gadget Abbott & Ricardo Reyes, Tesla VP of Marketing and Communications - Fri. 11/4 at 5:10 pm, 7:30 pm screenings
• Appearance by Jessie Deeter, Producer of "Revenge" - Sat., 11/5 at 7:30 pm screenings
• Appearances by Director Chris Paine and Greg Gadget Abbott - Sun 11/6 - All Showtimes

 

Landmark Shattuck - Berkeley

Daily Showtimes: 3:00, 5:15, 7:30, 9:45

• Appearance by Jessie Deeter, Producer of "Revenge" - Fri. 11/4 at 7:30 pm screening
• Appearance by Chris Paine and Greg Gadget Abbott - Sat 11/5 at 3:00 pm screening
• Appearance by Jessie Deeter, Producer of "Revenge" - Sat. 11/5 at 5:15 pm screening

 

Landmark Aquarius - Palo Alto

Daily Showtimes: Fri-Sun: 12:45 3:00 5:15 7:30 9:45; Mon-Thu 3:00 5:15 7:30 9:45

• Appearance by Diarmuid O'Connell (VP of Business Development at Tesla Motors) - Fri., 11/4 at 7:30 pm screening
• Appearance by Chris Paine and Greg Gadget Abbott - Sat 11/5, 5:15 pm, 7:30 pm screenings

 

Christopher B. Smith Rafael Center - San Rafael, CA

Daily Showtimes: Fri: 4:45, 6:45, 9:00, Sat. & Sun. 2:30, 4:45, 6:45, 9:00, Mon.-Thurs.: 6:45, 9:00

 

Camera 3 - San Jose

Daily Showtimes: Fri: 7:00, 9:20, Saturday: 2:50, 4:55, 7:00, 9:20, Sunday: 2:50, 4:55, 7:00, Monday, Wednesday: 7:00, 9:20, Tuesday, Thursday : 9:20

Below is an interview with Director Chris Paine and Journalist Robert Steadman with UK-based Blue and Green Tomorrow:

ROB: Was it difficult to gain behind the scenes access to the auto industry after the first film? Was there a level of distrust among the execs?
CHRIS:  Yes.  It took time and there was distrust on all sides at different times.  We knew we were vulnerable to car industry PR efforts and they knew they couldn't control what we did editorially.   One of my producers, Jessie Deeter, directs for the PBS show Frontline, and we used her guidelines about keeping our integrity about junkets and careful dealings with our subjects and the film was entirely independently financed.  We had a few run-ins with corporate handlers but over time we got more access.  Our one agreement was that we wouldn't release any footage until 2011. There was risk all around.

ROB: Do you feel the tone of the film could risk your credibility?
CHRIS: Both films share a common thread for me as a filmmaker and a journalist - great stories that needed time to tell. The first film is about frustration and anger- what went wrong one day in capitalism.  This other is what went right.  As 90 minute films, they are both condensations of much longer stories that reflect both a journalistic and artistic vision which is more then any single tone.  Both films reflect my experience that plug-in cars are an important advance forward on many levels.

ROB:  Do you/The manufacturers hope this movie will help to market and drive sales? If so are you pleased with the inherent ethical implications of this?
CHRIS:  Frankly, I hope this film encourages more people to give highway speed plug-in cars a shot whatever their perspective or politics.   There's incredible push-back to fundamental change because we are all creatures of habit.  We spend a lot of time justifying those habits and no amount of reasons will change us.  For example, there are some incredible advantages to plug-in cars. First among them in my view is they can slow down the export of vast amounts of money to other countries for petrol. Second, you can make the energy to run them domestically and renewable, and finally they are better driving experiences.  But no one will even consider one in any capacity until they actually can experience one.  It's all just argument until you give people experience. That's why this film is not an argument - it's a story about momentum to change.

ROB:  How did the new film come about?
CHRIS:  I reached out to the car makers on hearing that electric cars might be coming back into production. Many said no. A few eventually said yes.  And I found independent money to make the film.

ROB:  What are your personal feelings on the outcome of the film?
CHRIS:  I'm glad to have completed  two films on one topic with such different stories.  One is about how great innovation gets blocked by vested interests and resistance to change. The other is about innovation taking hold because of some very big risk takers. Hopefully this trend will continue.

ROB:  Have you had any feedback from the auto industry yet?
CHRIS:  The automotive press is a good indicator. They did not like the first film. They like this one much better but of course with caveats.  For most people the electric car seems so risky. What if I am wrong?  Very few people want to to be wrong.  And our film gets that blowback but that's okay, its part of the bigger story.

ROB:  Do you have any personal comments about climate change, Carbon emissions, etc., you'd like us to print?
CHRIS:  I care about the health and the quality of life whether its drinking water, the air that we burn up with our cars, or the food we consume everyday.  If we continue to trash these with fossil fuels, our situation will get worse and worse. This is a shame because we have the intelligence and renewable resources to do much better.

"Revenge of the Electric Car" friends, this week we learned some exciting news: the film's trailer is currently among the top 10 most popular movies on the iTunes Movie Trailers site! This tremendous accomplishment would not have been possible without support from our wonderful fans. We can't thank you enough for your efforts, whether it's simply watching the film's trailer, demanding the film in a city near you or coming out to a preview screening.

Then this weekend we got even more good news- "Revenge of the Electric Car" was chosen as a winner for the 21st annual Environmental Media Awards!  On Saturday at the Warner Brothers Studios in Burbank, CA, my producer P.G. Morgan and I accepted the award in the documentary category.  We were up against some great documentary films for the advocacy of environmental issues and we're truly honored to be chosen this year.

This success is just the beginning. It's time to make "Revenge of the Electric Car" a success where it matters the most – at the box office. The film opens at theaters in New York and Los Angeles on Friday, October 21st, with many more theaters coming this October and November. Come out to see it on opening weekend in New York and L.A., and check our screenings page to find out when it's coming to a city near you.

Thank you again!

-Chris Paine

"Revenge of the Electric Car" friends, this week we learned some exciting news: the film's trailer is currently among the top 10 most popular movies on the iTunes Movie Trailers site! This tremendous accomplishment would not have been possible without support from our wonderful fans. We can't thank you enough for your efforts, whether it's simply watching the film's trailer, demanding the film in a city near you or coming out to a preview screening.

Then this weekend we got even more good news- "Revenge of the Electric Car" was chosen as a winner for the 21st annual Environmental Media Awards!  On Saturday at the Warner Brothers Studios in Burbank, CA, my producer P.G. Morgan and I accepted the award in the documentary category.  We were up against some great documentary films for the advocacy of environmental issues and we're truly honored to be chosen this year.

This success is just the beginning. It's time to make "Revenge of the Electric Car" a success where it matters the most – at the box office. The film opens at theaters in New York and Los Angeles on Friday, October 21st, with many more theaters coming this October and November. Come out to see it on opening weekend in New York and L.A., and check our screenings page to find out when it's coming to a city near you.

Thank you again!

-Chris Paine