We’ve written quite a bit about both Children of Invention and White on Rice over the past year. Both indie films have used unique ways to promote their films from selling DVDs while the film is on the festival circuit to making music videos to YouTube Rentals to clever viral videos. Now the two films are collaborating for a NYC release this week.

The creators of the award-winning independent films CHILDREN OF INVENTION and WHITE ON RICE are collaborating for a unique joint theatrical release in New York City. The double bill will debut on March 12, 2010 at the newly renovated BIG Cinemas Manhattan (formerly the ImaginAsian Theater), sharing the facility’s single screen. Audience members will be offered a significant discount for purchasing tickets to both films.

Of the joint run, CHILDREN OF INVENTION producer Mynette Louie said, “We kept running into the WHITE ON RICE folks on our festival run, so we all became good friends. It makes perfect sense for us to buoy each other’s promotional efforts in true ‘DIWO’ style. DIWO means ‘Do It With Others,’ and it’s much more fruitful than DIY, particularly in this hostile climate for indie films.” CHILDREN OF INVENTION will also open simultaneously in Los Angeles on March 12 at the Downtown Independent. It will first open in Boston for a hometown run on February 26 at the Brattle Theatre. Also a DIWO pioneer, WHITE ON RICE director Dave Boyle said, “In the new indie filmmaking landscape, we’ve got to become more proactive about helping each other build an audience. I’m very proud to be working with my friends from CHILDREN and I hope these kinds of collaborations become the norm.”

If you’re not in NYC or LA, you can still support the DIWO efforts. The two films have jointly launched a DVD Giveaway Contest that will present one trivia question per day through 3/12, the day of their premiere. There are 8 questions in all–4 about Children of Invention, 4 about White on Rice. The first person to answer each question correctly will win a DVD of the film in question. You can participate in the contest here.

At channelAPA.com, we’re glad to see that collaboration is reaching beyond Asian American music and branching into indie film promotion as well. We applaud the forward thinking actions that both the Children of Invention and White on Rice Teams have shown to get their films out. Although both films had different marketing strategies, they both demonstrate the need to challenge the way indie films are distributed. We hope that New York steps up in supporting this DIWO efforts and hope to see more film collaborations in the future. To get tickets, go here.

White on Rice Trailer

Children of Invention Trailer