MONTREAL — Director Jacob Tierney is on a roll. His latest film, The Trotsky, just picked up a prize from the Russian Guild of Film Critics and Robert De Niro’s Tribeca Film Festival is set to launch his quirky comedy in the U.S. market.

On Monday, the New York festival will announce that The Trotsky is to be included in a slate of roughly 10 titles that will be released via video-on-demand across the U.S. as they are screened at the festival.

‘The film could potentially be watched by an audience of 40 million households,’ says producer Kevin Tierney. ‘I think of it as a new way of distributing movies that otherwise would have to spend money to get any attention in marketplace. I would much rather this than a straight-to-DVD deal. It’s a prestigious festival.’

The tale of a high-school student obsessed with Leon Trotsky was also the audience favorite at the recent Kingston Canadian Film Festival, which wrapped March 7.

‘It feels great,’ Kevin Tierney tells Playback Daily. ‘It’s a hit in the land of Lenin and of Sir John A. Macdonald. What more could I ask?’ The producer and father of Jacob just returned from picking up the Russian critics’ prize at the International Debut Film Festival in Khanty-Mansiysk, Siberia.

The Trotsky will open day-and-date at the Tribeca fest and online. The Tribeca Film Festival Virtual will allow online access to a selection of fest features for a $45 fee. The virtual fest opens with the world premiere of Edward Burns’ Nice Guy Johnny on April 23.

Alliance Films is set to release The Trotsky in Canada on May 14. Kevin Tierney hopes solid reviews south of the border will peak interest in the film at home.

Tribeca runs April 21 to May 2.