Press Release - August 9, 2000
Philip K. Dick Documentary Premieres to Sold Out Audience in New York City
The documentary 'The Gospel According To Philip K Dick' premiered in spectacular fashion before a sold-out audience in New York City last Saturday night, August 5. The screening was a key event of the Sci-Fi Channel Exposure Film Festival. Due to some positive, high-profile press coverage before the event, the 'Gospel' documentary screened to an overflowing house, leaving long lines outside.
The producers were able to generate significant interest in the documentary about the late science fiction author by promoting the work in progress on fan site philipkdick.com. In the weeks before the premiere, the film was recognized by USA Today and received a special mention on Harry Knowles' popular Ain't It Cool News movie web site.
Philip K. Dick, who died in 1982 following a series of strokes, left behind a legacy of more than fifty novels (including ones that were the basis for Blade Runner and Total Recall), five volumes of short stories, reams of correspondence, and an 8,000 page self-examination he called his Exegesis explaining, he hoped, the mystical experiences which form the heart of the film and a great deal of Dick's own later fiction.
Director Mark Steensland and co-producer Andy Massagli spent four months researching PKD's life, and interviewing key friends of Phil's from the early 1970s. Writers Ray Nelson, Robert Anton Wilson, Paul Williams and D. Scott Apel all contributed their thoughts and words to 'The Gospel According To Philip K Dick'.
As very little actual interview footage exists of Philip K Dick, the documentary makers decided to create an animated Phil Dick, voiced by the man himself from old audio interview tapes.
"The technique of creating an animated Phil was very successful," said co-producer Andy Massagli. "It allowed Phil to comment in his own words on the 1974 experience, and gave us the opportunity to include him in a way we would otherwise not have been able to."
The producers are currently seeking a distribution deal for the film.
A clip from the movie is now available for viewing on the philipkdick.com website. For more information about the film and to read the Film-maker's Journal, visit www.philipdick.com/film