Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie

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Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie
Directed by Matt Johnson
Written by
Based on
Nirvana the Band the Show and Nirvanna the Band the Show
by
  • Matt Johnson
  • Jay McCaroll
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyJared Raab [1]
Edited by
Music byJay McCarrol [1]
Production
company
Distributed by Elevation Pictures [2]
Release dates
  • March 9, 2025 (2025-03-09)(SXSW)
  • September 4, 2025 (2025-09-04)(TIFF)
Running time
100 minutes [1]
CountryCanada
LanguageEnglish

Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie is a 2025 Canadian time travel mockumentary-adventure film directed by Matt Johnson from a screenplay by Johnson and Jay McCarrol. The film stars Johnson and McCarrol as fictionalised versions of themselves in a band called "Nirvanna the Band" as they attempt to book a gig at the Rivoli, a bar and restaurant in Toronto, despite the fact that they have never actually written or recorded a single song, nor taken any steps to contact the Rivoli's management about booking a show. [1] A publicity stunt gone wrong accidentally sends Matt, Jay, and their friend/cameraman Jared back in time to the year 2008, leaving them stranded unless they can find a way to get back to the future. [3]

Contents

The film is based on Johnson and McCarrol's 2007–2009 web series Nirvana the Band the Show , as well as its 2017–2018 sequel television series Nirvanna the Band the Show .

Premise

Unemployed "bandmates," best friends and fictionalized alter egos of the creators, Matt and Jay want to land a gig at The Rivoli in Toronto even though they have never done a show and have never recorded a song, but, after a failed stunt to jump off The Skydome & their new scheme, involving a DeLorean-inspired RV, they're transported to 2008 and need a bottle of Orbitz (drink) to get 'Back To The Future.'

Cast

Production

Development

In May 2023, it was reported that Matt Johnson was returning to the series Nirvanna the Band the Show to make a film. [4] The series featured on Viceland for two seasons in 2017 and 2018, continuing on CBC in 2019. [5]

In October 2023, Johnson told the Empire Magazine Podcast that he had initially planned to film in the UK but that filming had instead got underway in the United States. [6] Johnson was quoted as saying that the success of the 2023 film Blackberry had helped the project secure funding from Telefilm. [7] [8] In January 2025, the film was announced to be titled Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie. [1] [9] [10]

A third season of the television show was filmed and partially edited but never released, as Viceland Canada shut down as a network before the season could be finished. Zapruder Films purchased the rights to the show, intending to finish and release the third season after the release of the feature film. [11]

Release and reception

On March 9, 2025, the film premiered at the 2025 South by Southwest Film & TV Festival. [10] [12] [1] Later that month, Neon acquired United States distribution rights to the film. [13]

It received positive reviews from the press and critics after premiering at SXSW. [3]

The film is slated to have its Canadian premiere in the Midnight Madness program at the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival. [14]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 "Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie". SXSW 2025 Schedule. Retrieved January 23, 2025.
  2. Zilko, Christian (March 11, 2025). "'Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie' Review: Cult Comedy Series Gets Big Screen Treatment in Glorious Copyright Nightmare". IndieWire . Retrieved March 29, 2025.
  3. 1 2 Debruge, Peter (March 13, 2025). "'Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie' Review: Matt Johnson's Outrageous Time-Travel Stunt Pays Off". Variety.
  4. Hertz, Barry (May 10, 2023). "Behind the scenes of BlackBerry: Hidden cameras, bold ambitions, and avalanche of CanCon". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved October 28, 2023.
  5. Slingerland, Calum (May 12, 2023). "Matt Johnson's Next Film Will Be Based on 'Nirvanna the Band the Show'". Exclaim.ca. Retrieved October 28, 2023.
  6. Hewitt, Chris (October 27, 2023). "Empire Podcast #588: Eddie Izzard, Matt Johnson, Greta Gerwig". Empireonline.com. Retrieved October 28, 2023.
  7. Slingerland, Calum (March 15, 2024). "Matt Johnson Teases 'Nirvanna the Band' Movie: "It's Not What People Think It's Going to Be"" . Retrieved April 25, 2024.
  8. "Matt Johnson says he made 'BlackBerry' to get funding for a Nirvanna the Band movie". ctvnews. March 14, 2024. Archived from the original on March 14, 2024. Retrieved May 24, 2024.
  9. Grobar, Matt (January 22, 2025). "Seth Rogen Comedy Series 'The Studio' To Open SXSW 2025; 'The Accountant 2,' 'Death Of A Unicorn', 'Drop,' 'Happy Face' & More Also To Screen". Deadline. Retrieved January 23, 2025.
  10. 1 2 Vary, Selome Hailu,Adam B. (January 22, 2025). "SXSW 2025 Lineup: Seth Rogen's 'The Studio,' Jenna Ortega Comedy 'Death of a Unicorn,' Nicole Kidman Thriller 'Holland' Among World Premieres". Variety. Retrieved January 23, 2025.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  11. ""Matt Johnson says he made 'BlackBerry' to get funding for a Nirvanna the Band movie"". Toronto Star . March 14, 2024. Retrieved March 19, 2024.
  12. "'Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie' to premiere at SXSW in March". Torontotoday. January 23, 2025.
  13. Stephan, Katcy (March 28, 2025). "Neon Acquires 'Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie'". Variety . Retrieved March 28, 2025.
  14. Rebecca Rubin, "TIFF Unveils Midnight Madness Slate, Including Bob Odenkirk’s ‘Normal’ and ‘F— My Son!’". Variety , July 24, 2025.