Michael Moore releasing next movie free online

Oscar-winning documentarian Michael Moore plans to release his next film as a free Internet download. “Slacker Uprising” chronicles Moore’s 62-city swing state tour as the 2004 election approached, made famous by the director’s offer of free Ramen noodles and a fresh change of underwear to young voters.

“This is being done entirely as a gift to my fans,” said Moore. “The only return any of us are hoping for is the largest turnout of young voters ever at the polls in November. I think ‘Slacker Uprising’ will inspire million to get off the couch and give voting a chance.”

The movie — the first full-length Hollywood feature available free online — will be available for three weeks starting Sept. 23 at SlackerUprising.com. The movie will be released on dvd Oct. 7 for $9.95 and includes numerous extras not available online.

Moore, director of 2004’s Farenheit 911 and last year’s Sicko, said he considered releasing the film theatrically but decided to celebrate the approach the 20th anniversary of his debut, Roger and Me and encourage young voters to cast ballots this year.

The film cost $2 million to produce and Moore plans to spend about $1 million out of pocket to distribute it online, according to The Associated Press. The free downloads will be on BlipTV, much higher quality than YouTube, Moore said.

Moore readily acknowledges this is a film for Democrats: “This film, really isn’t for anybody other than the choir,” he said. “But that’s because I believe the choir needs a song to sing every now and then.”

Brave New Films publicist Axel Woolfolk said Monday that “tens of thousands” of fans have already signed up for the film online, and that he expects at least half a million viewers to take advantage of the free download. “Viewership will increase exponentially the next couple of weeks,” Woolfolk predicted.

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