This one’s definitely worth your attention…a kind of Spinal Tap for historical cinema.

From First Run Features comes Forgotten Silver (Special Edition) a fictional documentary from Peter Jackson, the director of Dead Alive and The Frighteners.

When director Jackson (playing himself) discovers a cache of ancient nitrate in a neighbor’s shed he realizes he has found, “the most extraordinary collection of films I had never heard of. Imagine if Citizen Kane suddenly came out of the blue!” This insidiously funny, yet utterly believable “mockumentary” uncovers the life of Colin McKenzie, New Zealand’s forgotten film pioneer and inventor extraordinaire of the early 1900s. This newly discovered film proves that New Zealand housed a predecessor to D.W. Griffith and the Lumiere brothers. With glee Jackson reveals how the young genius McKenzie invented motion picture cameras, color film, sync sound, tracking shots, and various other cinematic techniques. Also revealed is McKenzie’s Biblical epic “Salome”, for which he recreated ancient Jerusalem in the New Zealand Jungle.

The 1996 film also stars several notable film personages who appear as themselves, including Leonard Maltin, Sam Neill, and Harvey Weinstein.

The movie will be presented full frame and will come with several bonus features, including: deleted footage, an audio commentary, production stills, behind-the-scenes footage, and interviews with director Peter Jackson, co-writer Costa Botes, and key cast and crew members.

Look for it to be released on December 19th, with a suggested retail price of $29.95.