Releasing a film theatrically day and date with the VOD window, while challenging the cinema release window, is a fast-expanding platform for indie film distribution in the U.S. market.

Now the Whistler Film Festival is dipping its toes in the VOD release waters by making Joel Ashton McCarthy’s mockumentary After Film School available at $9.95 a pop for a limited time on the National Film Board of Canada’s nfb.ca website.

The VOD release will follow 90 minutes after world premiere of After Film School on Dec. 5 in Whistler.

Making the Canadian film available online nearly simultaneously with a festival premiere comes as Canadians view movies in homes, including on Netflix and other SVODs, more than at the local cinema.

“If successful, this could point to a different type of film distribution. VOD sites will bring Canadian films directly to consumers online without the frustrations of token theatrical releases and minimal television sales, common for modestly-budgeted Canadian films,” Whistler festival director of programming Paul Gratton said in a statement Tuesday.

Whistler is coordinating the festival/VOD release with The First Weekend Club.