FilmBuff and Vitagraph Team Before the ‘Collapse’

Cinetic’s FilmBuff and Vitagraph Films have announced a joint pick-up of, in my estimation, the best doc film coming out of this year’s TIFF. What is particularly noteworthy about the rights acquisition isn’t the strategically laid out simultaneous VOD/theatrical release plans, but the tagged November 6th release. Perhaps Chris Smith’s Collapse is being rushed out extra-early to capitalize on TIFF buzz or to make sure that this the time sensitive doc doesn’t feel obsolete in 2010 – an October release for Capitalism: A Love Story suffered because it felt so “after the fact.”

I’d make the argument that Collapse will only be more relevant next year – the U.S. economy and planet can only be in worse shape tomorrow than what it is today and having missed the September 1 Oscar deadline, I wonder how an extra-early release can be a deal-breaker when it comes to making a noms list ten months from now.

Collapse comes from acclaimed director of American Movie, this portrait of radical thinker Michael Ruppert explores his apocalyptic vision of the future, spanning the crises in economics, energy, environment and more. Vitagraph will open the film at New York’s Angelika Theater.