Who knew that smart nerdy guys who play in their basements could have generated such a fascinating and entertaining story–or stories? Winnipeg filmmakers Pajot and Swirsky drew more buzz at Sundance and Hot Docs than all the bells and whistles on your MacBook. The doc is a compelling study of those brilliant obsessive nerds who construct indie video games–offbeat, personal, witty experiments in cyber video land. The film specifically follows three game designers, each of whom is working on highly original material. Their journeys are decidedly different, dramatic and intense, and the filmmakers follow these quests with respectful intimacy. Watching these journeys open us up to worlds we had no idea existed, a vast subculture of young innovators who have thrown their entire lives into the construction of new media gaming narratives. If you know how to spell Nintendo you’ll want to play Super Meat Boy in no time at all.

Sundance-Winning Indie Game doc not just for nerds: The Globe and Mail

Winner – World Cinema Documentary Editing Award – Sundance Film Festival

Directors, Writers, Producers: James Swirsky, Lisanne Pajot
Documentary
96 minutes
Canada