Global media giant Vice has acquired the festival breakout film for a world wide release of 'An Insignificant Man'. Memesys Lab, the studio behind the film, will be releasing this highly awaited film.
Announcing its first ever film acquisition, Vice Documentary Films has picked up rights to the internationally celebrated documentary feature, 'An Insignificant Man'.
Directed by Khushboo Ranka and Vina Shukla, 'An Insignificant Man' is a non-fiction political thriller that chronicles the spectacular rise of Arvind Kejriwal from a social activist to a polarizing politician.
Terming it a 'masterpiece', Vice has announced that it will now be partnering with producer Anand Gandhi's Memesys Lab in releasing the film widely, in India and internationally.
Having raised over a billion dollars since 2013, Vice is one of the largest media houses in the world. While Netflix & Amazon are primarily video subscription services, Vice is a groundbreaking digital media and broadcasting company that tackles global issues often overlooked by traditional media with a fearless, raw approach to storytelling.
The film had been in news recently after it was stalled by the ex-censor board chief, who had asked the filmmakers to get permissions from Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other politicians. Ironically, the film was championed by the international film-making community and senior executives at Vice. Finally, in a precedent setting order, the FCAT (Film Certification Appellate Tribunal) overruled the board's 'unconstitutional' demand and cleared the film in its entirety.
"I first saw the 'An Insignificant Man' at TIFF in 2016 and I came away thinking it was the best doc about street-level politics since Marshall Curry's Street Fight," said Jason Mojica, Executive Producer, VICE Documentary Films.
"We at VICE closely followed the filmmakers and the censorship battle over the film over the past few months. VICE will always champion independent filmmakers fighting for freedom of expression, and are putting our entire global platform behind this film. We're bringing 'An Insignificant Man' to our audience around the world, because we think it's a highly relevant film for anyone who sees problems in their own political systems and has the impulse to get personally involved in trying to change things."
Though the terms of the deal weren't disclosed, the acquisition means the film will be shown in over 22 countries in theatres, on television and digitally.
"For the first time ever in the history of Indian cinema, a film will show exactly what goes on behind closed doors of a political party. Vice has led the content market when it comes to serious non-fiction work. They are fearless in what they do and it's exciting for us to have such an inspiring international partner on board. We will be kicking things off by getting the film out in India this November" said Anand Gandhi of Memesys Lab.
The film has been an audience favourite at more than 50 film festivals. It received a standing ovation at its MAMI film festival screening in Mumbai. It has been backed by prestigious international organisations like Sundance, Skywalker Labs, Bertha Foundation etc. The film also has the distinction of being funded by one of the biggest crowd funding campaigns in India.
The 95 minutes long film has been painstakingly distilled from 400 hours of real behind-the-scenes footage shot through a year. It sneaks us into the middle of heated arguments, inside jokes, campaign strategies and the true events and ideologies that inform the rhetoric, as we follow the birth of the newest political party in India - the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).