Last month I wrote about the distribution woes facing Greg Kohs, director of the critically acclaimed, award-winning documentary, Song Sung Blue. [Read the original article here.] Shortly after publishing the article, I contacted Kohs via his official website to let him know that I'd done so.

Kohs' gracious reply arrived later that day. I had questions about his distribution plans, wondered whether he might be overlooking a great opportunity to find distribution via the social-internet, or even avenues such as Apple's iTunes Store, given that he was having difficultly lining up a traditional outlet.

My concerns weren't altogether unselfish, Roger Ebert had recently published his pre-release review of Song Sung Blue which included a tantalizing glimpse into an event he described as "something out of the blue that is simply astonishing" involving Eddie Vedder of Pearl Jam fame. His review then ends with:

You can't see this film because it hasn't been picked up for distribution. It won both audience awards at Slamdance 2008 (the popular vote, and the juried award). It was named best documentary at the Chicago and Atlanta underground film festivals, and at the surface-level Boston, Philadelphia, Sydney, and Memphis festivals. Distributors, get your hands on a screener!

As a Pearl Jam fan and a fan of documentaries in general, the thought that the two interests had converged and yet I wouldn't be able discover whatever it was that was so "astonishing" due to seemingly-typical distribution issues was ... disappointing ... to say the least.

As part of his reply, Kohs offered to send out a screener (with the obvious caveat that I return it) and so, last week, my wife and I sat down to take in Song Sung Blue.

I've been putting off a review since that day, not because the film wasn't good (it was) and not because the Eddie Vedder aspect didn't live up to Ebert's description (it does) but because I wanted to frame my thoughts into something more interesting than a review.

I simply didn't know what that would entail.

Ebert had already posted as good a summary/review of the movie as anyone could hope to read and, anyway, my first thought after watching Song Sung Blue was that the less a person knows about Lightning and Thunder, the more he or she will get out of watching their lives unfold.

Not knowing specifics about the highs and lows, the tragedies, Lightning's early life experiences which shaped the person he'd become, and what may be the largest pair of not-so-tight white underpants ever documented on film is the best way to approach Song Sung Blue.

The other thought that struck me is how little of the approximately two-hour running time is devoted to live performances of a tribute-duo known and (locally) loved for devoting their lives to recreating Neil Diamond (Lightning) and Patsy Cline (Thunder) on stage. I'm not sure that I can recall a single song performed from start to finish. Still, given their struggles, this doesn't seem like the wrong approach, and music underscores the film and their lives all the same.

And then, the ending: Without giving too much away, Song Sung Blue needs an epilogue, some sort of "this is life beyond the documentary" treatment, especially given recent headlines concerning Thunder's first-in-a-lifetime chance to meet the man who inspired Lightning, who in turn gave meaning and life to Thunder.

Otherwise, I think audiences will leave with the thought: "Can there be Thunder if there is no Lightning?" On the other hand, maybe that's the point.

Suffice it to say, Greg Kohs masterfully mixes his own footage (an eight-year-long endeavor) with home movies to the point where it's difficult to tell which is which, and the result is an incredibly intimate look into an (overly?) passionate family -- and all the suffering and joy that comes with such passion.

So, that's the review. Roger Ebert once again provides the inspiration for the "something more interesting" by writing about yet another film in search of a distributor, also facing issues relating to licensing, also a labor of love:

Nina Paley's Sita Sings the Blues:

Sita is a goddess separated from her beloved Lord and husband Rama. Nina is an animator whose husband moves to India, then dumps her by email. Three hilarious shadow puppets narrate both ancient tragedy and modern comedy in this beautifully animated interpretation of the Indian epic Ramayana. Set to the 1920's jazz vocals of Annette Hanshaw, Sita Sings the Blues earns its tagline as "The Greatest Break-Up Story Ever Told." SOURCE

While Sita is rendered as 2D animation, it shares with Song Sung Blue a slightly skewed look at something familiar and both are deeply rooted in music while stuck in a sort of distribution limbo.

Moreover, both seem to be the sort of movie likely to play better in non-traditional venues, both unlikely to be seen outside art house theaters, if they're seen at all in smaller venues between the coasts. Why? Because they're not the sort of movie an executive sitting in an office somewhere believes a vital target demographic will turn out to see.

This is probably true. However, that doesn't mean that there isn't an audience for well-crafted, gripping stories told in an untraditional manner.

Kohs, in response to my questions about seeking a less traditional means of distribution, had this to say:

I would love to post the film for everyone to check out right away, but I have many rights clearances still being worked out and it takes time.... so I'm totally cool with digital distribution, its just taking time to get it all worked out.

Kohs and Paley are blogging the process of securing music clearance, vital to the success of both Song Sung Blue and Sita:

Kohs:

Today was an extremely stressful day. I camped out alone at the condo where emails and phone calls dominated the morning. As it turns out, last night our music clearance process hit a bump in the road. I had always known the music licensing process would be a long one. I also knew a film like SSB only had a chance of getting the proper clearances if the folks at the top viewed the entire film and were moved by it. So in September, after 8 years in the making, I locked the picture, submitted my music license requests, and shipped SSB to the SLAMDANCE Film Festival (on the last possible day for submissions).

Following the blog posts forward from that day, the stress of trying to screen a movie without having yet secured clearance to do so becomes apparent -- but Vedder once again steps up to provide a happy ending.

Paley:

First I must decriminalize it to the tune of about $50,000. That's down from the $220,000 the rights-holders initially quoted. However, that "bargain" price comes with many strings: a "step deal." This stipulates that for every 5,000 home video units sold (DVD or download sales or on-demand sales) I must pay another $750 per song, meaning $8,250, plus middleman fees (lawyer or negotiator - I've already been billed about $10,000 just trying to negotiate with these corporations). Also for every $1million at the box office, I must pay another $3,500 per song, or $38,500. SOURCE

Later in the same post, Paley unveils her distribution plan, one which would seem to work a loophole and which wholeheartedly embraces a guerilla-style distribution model:

Which brings us to step two: while making one DVD pressing of 4,999 copies, I will place promotional files of the entire film - at all resolutions, including broadcast-quality, HD, and film-quality image sequences - online at archive.org and as many mirror hosts as volunteer to share it. I will license it either as Creative Commons Share-Alike, or some equivalent of the GNU/Linux license. This will prevent it and any derivative works from ever being copyrighted by anyone. Of course this license won't apply to the songs, which will remain under copyright by their respective corporate overlords. But clearing the licenses first will decriminalize it, and make it safer to screen in theaters (and theaters will be free to screen it and charge for it without obligation to me). The free online copies are promotional copies.

Both films face an uncertain future, made brighter only by the dogged determination of Kohs and Paley to put the respective fruits of their labour in front of audiences, whatever it takes. Given the similarities of their plight -- despite overt genre differences -- it would seem that Song Sung Blue and Sita Sings the Blues are destined to screen as a double-feature at some point in the future.

Music -- and love stories -- transcend genre classifications.

It just so happens that Roger Ebert's Overlooked Film Festival, Ebertfest, (April 22-26, 2009) would be the perfect venue.