NIRVANNA THE BAND THE SHOW THE MOVIE

ENCORE SESSIONS
Wednesday, March 11
Luna Leederville
+
Monday, March 9
Luna Outdoor

From Matt Johnson (BlackBerry, Operation Avalanche) and Jay McCarrol's cult comedy series comes an adventure 17 years in the making. When their plan to book a show at The Rivoli goes horribly wrong, Matt and Jay accidentally travel back to the year 2008.

For the uninitiated, Matt Johnson and Jay McCarrol’s Nirvanna The Band The Show was a cult web series where its two creators portrayed hyperactive, hap-witted versions of themselves as a musical duo desperately failing to book a gig at the storied Toronto venue The Rivoli. Their hilarious misadventures continued a decade later across two seasons of a Spike Jonze–produced television series, and both iterations brilliantly blended Matt and Jay’s fictional exploits with hysterically incredible real-world public interactions. Every episode overflowing with irreverent pop-culture references and nebulous copyright violations, but always culminated in a sweet-hearted expression of friendship and creative perseverance.

Now the duo has returned, in a critically acclaimed, award-winning major motion picture that harmonizes with the series but stands alone.

When Matt presses Jay to partake in their most death-defying publicity stunt yet, it goes spectacularly sideways, and the fallout inspires Jay to strike out on his own. But thanks to Matt’s inadvertent intervention with a short-lived Canadian novelty beverage, the boys find themselves travelling through time where they risk compromising their very own origin story.

Utilising meticulous visual effects, costuming, and the judicious integration of archival footage, Johnson and his collaborators have crafted a satirically sobering and riotously funny cultural mirror that reflects just how much (and how little) things have changed, all the while celebrating the infectious joy of living for your dreams… with a little help from your friends.

AWARDS

SXSW Film Festival 2025 | Winner: Audience Award
Toronto International Film Festival 2025 | Winner People’s Choice Award – Midnight Madness