Today was a pretty big day for Cameron Crowe’s anticipated musical documentary Pearl Jam Twenty, which promises to capture the rise of alternative rock’s grungiest antiheroes. For starters, it was announced that Twenty would hold its official world premiere at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival, where the doc will screen in the Special Presentations program. Next, the first official trailer was posted online. We have it below:



Were you as surprised as I was to see David Lynch interviewing Pearl Jam lead singer Eddie Vedder? Heck, Vedder himself looks pretty damn surprised. The rest of the trailer follows the Behind the Music playbook, with tons of candid interview clips, live concert footage, grain backstage reels, and a background of melodic Pearl Jam tunes. As a casual PJ fan, I’m most excited about Crowe’s contributions to the doc, given his history as a rock journalist, a rabid music fan, and the director of one of the most loving tributes to rock music ever in Almost Famous. With Crowe at the helm, I’m guessing Pearl Jam Twenty will be insightful and entertaining for non-fans (just as the recent Foo Fighters doc proved incredibly engrossing, even if you didn’t know any of their songs).

If you can’t make it to Toronto, never fear. The film will be released in select theaters on Sept. 20, followed by an intense roll out leading up to the film’s television debut on Friday, Oct. 21, on PBS’ American Masters. For up-to-date information, visit the film’s official Web site.