See 'Wait for Me' online, before it hits festivals

As a jaded EW staffer, I tend to roll my eyes whenever a young actor or actress announces a vanity project or a desire to be a serious filmmaker. Combined with a complete lack of enthusiasm for technology, this makes me a hard sell for any indie film viewable only on the Internet. Yet after an engaging office meet-’n'-greet with Daniel Gillies, I found my way to a movie called Wait for Me, starring, directed by, and produced by the 31-year-old Kiwi actor, best known for his role as Mary Jane’s astronaut beau in Spider-Man 2. The trailer for the film is below.

Gillies has started a production company, Holy Monster, which produces passion projects like Wait for Me — which was shot in nine days, for $4,500, using a low-tech camera and tripod. Impressive, right? So far, the first six minutes of the film are available on HolyMonster.com and on YouTube. And while I’m no Schwarzbaum or Gleiberman, this story — about an American man who journeys to darkest Central America in hopes of reunting with a lost love — is riveting. (There’s subtle humor, too, as when Gillies’ character, terribly out of place in his suit and holding a bouquet of flowers, powers through the slums of Panama City).

Gillies will be releasing the movie online, in segments, in the coming months, then plans to submit it to festivals later in the year. Head over and check out the first clip of "Wait for Me," PopWatchers, then tell me what you think. (Warning: It contains some NSFW language.) And does Gillies’ tactic bode well in terms of cultivating a larger audience for terrific, previously inaccessable low-low-low-budget films?