Around the time Sicko was first released in theaters last year, a pristine copy of the film was also leaked onto the internet. There were rumors that filmmaker Michael Moore was himself responsible for the illegally downloaded copy, and in interviews he did little to squash those rumors. Moore’s stance seemed to be that he simply wanted people to see the movie, and that he didn’t care where or how they saw it.

For his next documentary, Michael Moore won’t resort to clandestine methods in order to give his film away for free. Slacker Uprising won’t bother with theaters or selling tickets. It’s going directly online, where it will be available for completely free.

According to Moore, it’s his way of showing gratitude to his fans. He says, “I I've been very blessed and fortunate to have so many people come to my movies over these two decades, I decided why not bypass the studios and the exhibitors and make one that the fans can have for free, as a show of my profound appreciation of their support.” Of course it won’t hurt if it also helps him make his point to more people. He adds, “The only return any of us are hoping for is the largest turnout of young voters ever at the polls in November. I think Slacker Uprising will inspire million to get off the couch and give voting a chance.”

The movie cost a cool $2 million, a million of which came straight out of Moore’s pocket. Sicko earned $35 million worldwide, which means that’s nearly $33 million in potential profit Moore is tossing out the window. At one point the movie was slated to be released by The Weinstein Company under the title of Captain Mike Across America, but apparently no longer. If he’s really doing this out of gratitude and not because he had some sort of trouble getting distribution, then say what you want about the man, but he’s definitely putting his money where his mouth is.

To get the free download on September 23rd, you’ll have to head to SlackerUprising.com. Slacker Uprising follows Michael Moore on his 2004 62-city tour to get young people out and voting. Since Bush got a second year, I guess it’s safe to say it didn’t work very well. Too bad he had stiff John Kerry and not basketball playin- Barack Obama. Below is the trailer for the film: