AN ONLINE pay-per-view showing of Michael Moore's controversial anti-Bush documentary Fahrenheit 9/11 will be released on the eve of the presidential election, the Internet movie provider CinemaNow announced Friday.
Viewers can see the film today by logging on to the company's Web site at 8 p.m. EST and paying $9.95, said the company's chief executive officer, Curt Marvis. It also will be made available in December.
"We're thrilled that the people behind Fahrenheit 9/11 have recognised the power of digital distribution," Marvis said.
He said Moore and Fellowship Adventure Group, one of the film's distributors, have agreed to donate their share of the profits from today's showing to a charity to benefit veterans.
A spokesman for Moore did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Meanwhile, EchoStar Communications Corp.'s DISH Network will offer Fahrenheit 9/11 and Carlton Sherwood's film Stolen Honour: Wounds that Never Heal on pay-per-view for one night today.
ANTI-WAR ACTIVITIES
Sherwood's 42-minute film criticises Democratic presidential candidate Sen. John Kerry's anti-war activities after he returned from Vietnam, and contains interviews with Vietnam prisoners of war and their wives.
Susan Arnold, vice president of programming at EchoStar's DISH Network, said in a statement that the Englewood, Colo.-based company was providing customers with "a variety of political films and documentaries so they can make informed choices."
Moore had originally struck a deal with the cable pay-per-view company iN DEMAND to show the film as part of a three-hour election eve special, but the company announced two weeks ago that it was dropping the project because of "legitimate business and legal concerns."
Moore accused iN DEMAND of bowing to pressure from Bush supporters.
His film, released on video this month, attacks the president's handling of the war on terrorism and the war in Iraq and criticises the Bush family's ties to the Saudi royal family. It has earned more than $100 million in theatrical release, a box office record for a documentary.
The Walt Disney Co. refused to release Fahrenheit 9/11 to theatres through its Miramax Films because it was too politically partisan for the company's taste. Moore eventually released it through Lions Gate Entertainment Corp., IFC Films and Fellowship.
CinemaNow, majority owned by Lions Gate, offers releases from most major studios.
