Going the independent route for distributing a movie isn’t like it used to be. Before if you couldn’t get a theatrical run, you could maybe look for a company to release your flick direct to DVD and find a spot next to the “real” movies on a shelf at the local Blockbuster. Now there are plenty of other outlets for exposure.
First-time director Sage Bannick’s The Absent hits all the majors – Amazon, Netflix, Barnes and Noble, Target, B.Y.E., Walmart, and Borders, as well as Indiedocs and Indieflix – on DVD.
“The Absent” centers on Vincent, a high school teacher forced to choose between career and a love affair with Katie, one of his students. The pressure mounts when his twin brother, Oscar, returns to town after serving 25 years in jail for killing their parents. One by one Katie’s friends disappear, prompting the local Sheriff to target Vincent as the number one suspect. Vincent knows his brother is involved, but is unable to catch him in the act until the final scene. By then it is too late. The hunter becomes the hunted.
Looks like The Absent is available right now everywhere except for Netflix, which still shows the “SAVE” button underneath its photo. It retails for $19.95.