One thing that's going to be fascinating to watch unfold in the next few years is the ways films are distributed.  We live in an age where the landscape seems to shift daily, and as a result, the people who will be best suited to succeed are the ones who are willing and able to embrace new ways of thinking and who are willing to try new models to deliver movies to people, both theatrically and at home.

On March 1, 2012, next Thursday night, there will be a one-night-only theatrical engagement for the new documentary "No Room For Rockstars," which traces the history of the Vans Warped Tour.  Directed by Parris Patton, the film features many of the bands who were featured on the tour over the years.

In addition to showing the film, the event (you can find out which theaters are participating at the film's official website) will also feature a panel discussion with producer Stacy Peralta, director Patton, and several other people including the band Suicide Silence, conducted live from the Santa Monica Laemmle's Monica 4-plex.  The film played at the 2012 Slamdance Film Festival, and it will also play at next month's SXSW fest in Austin, before arriving on iTunes on April 2 and DVD on May 15.  Festivals, one-night live simulcasts, and then an iTunes release before DVD?  That's certainly not the way I'm used to seeing a film get released, but that's good.  I like that small films can find their own way these days.

Here's a synopsis for the movie:

For 17 years, the Vans Warped Tour has been a punk rock juggernaut, a misfit circus crisscrossing North America every summer as a wandering minstrel show for youth culture. Embracing a powerful, unifying ethic created by its founder Kevin Lyman, the Vans Warped Tour has grown and prospered as the music industry itself imploded and continues to sift through the rubble in search of a new way forward. Along the way, Warped has provided a launching pad for a dizzying array of talent, from Green Day and Blink 182 to Ice-T, Eminem and No Doubt, along with perennial punk legends such as Pennywise, All, Bouncing Souls and Bad Religion.

With more than 300 hours of film shot during the 2010 tour, NO ROOM FOR ROCKSTARS documents the true stories of modern era rock and roll from every possible angle. From the kids in the van playing parking lots to gain notice, to the veteran stage manager whose life was saved by the tour, to the musician who crosses over to mainstream success while on the road, NO ROOM FOR ROCKSTARS is cinema vérité story-telling at its finest. A historical retrospective or concert film this is not. NO ROOM FOR ROCKSTARS is meaningful insight into current state of rock and roll and the zeitgeist of youth culture.

We've also got an exclusive clip from the film for you today, featuring the founder of the Warped Tour and a quick glimpse of a few of the bands being discussed in the film, and it addresses the way timing played a part in the success of the tour.  That's embedded at the top of the article.

I'm not sure if it'll be at SXSW or on iTunes or DVD, but I'm definitely going to catch up with this one this year at some point, and if you end up seeing it at this week's event, drop me a line and let me know what you think.

Drew McWeeny
Film Editor

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A respected critic and commentator for fifteen years, Drew McWeeny helped create the online film community as "Moriarty" at Ain't It Cool News, and now proudly leads two budding Film Nerds in their ongoing movie education.