| Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Matt Johnson |
| Written by |
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| Based on | |
| Produced by |
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| Starring |
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| Cinematography | Jared Raab [1] |
| Edited by | |
| Music by | Jay McCarrol [1] |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Elevation Pictures [2] |
Release date |
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| Country | Canada |
| Language | English |
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]
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 .
In 2007, lifelong best friends and aspiring musicians Matt and Jay talk about their dreams of playing a show at the Rivoli, their favorite venue in Toronto, and becoming famous.
In 2025, Matt tells Jay his plan for a publicity stunt involving jumping off of the CN Tower and skydiving into the SkyDome in the middle of a baseball game. When the stunt fails, Matt comes up with a new plan involving converting a RV into a Back to the Future-inspired mock time machine.
When the modified RV inadvertently turns out to actually function as a time machine, Matt and Jay, as well as their friend/cameraman Jared, are accidentally sent back in time to the year 2008, where they encounter past versions of themselves from the web series. They realize that the time machine won't function without a bottle of Orbitz, a brand of Canadian fruit drink that—as of 2008—has been discontinued for a decade. Tensions increase between Matt and Jay over Jay's desire to do more solo work, leading him to quit the band during a secret screening of The Hangover . When the trio return to the present, they realize that Jay's actions in the past have made him one of Canada's biggest celebrities.
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]
On March 9, 2025, the film premiered at the 2025 South by Southwest Film & TV Festival. [10] [12] [1] Later that month, Neon acquired distribution rights to the film. [13] The film is planned for release at a later date in 2025. [7]
It received positive reviews from the press and critics after premiering at SXSW. [3]
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