'Stupid' to launch worldwide in fall

Eco-documentary plans green U.S. premiere

AMSTERDAM -- British eco-documentary "The Age of Stupid" goes global in September, launching in up to 40 territories worldwide.

Rollout begins in North America on Sept. 21, digital distribution company Arts Alliance Media revealed Monday at Cinema Expo in Amsterdam.

Pic will take its bow in a solar-powered cinema tent in New York's Central Park. Arts Alliance says this "green-carpet" event will produce 1% of the carbon emissions of a traditional film premiere.

"Stupid" arrives in Europe, Asia, Africa, and Central and Latin America on Sept. 22.

Helmer Franny Armstrong sets her docu segments in a fictional framework, with an old man — played by Pete Postlethwaite — looking back from the devastated world of 2055 to ask why humanity didn't stop climate change when it had the chance.

Screenings will be supported by live satellite link-ups, bringing together scientists in the Arctic and Himalayas, with as yet unconfirmed top celebrities and world leaders.

Pic was produced independently by Lizzie Gillett and John Battsek, with a budget of £450,000 ($745,000). It took its U.K. bow on March 15, with a simultaneous preem on 62 screens across the country.