Like the Paeds ED medical app we covered a while back, this is another case of someone using the App Store for something a little out of the ordinary, but with a considerable amount of potential for the future.  Finnish filmmaker Kimmo Kuusniemi made a documentary entitled ‘Promised Land of Heavy Metal’, a film about the history of rock music in Finland, a decidedly niche title which would have to work hard to find its audience, but thanks to some innovative thinking, he has taken a big step towards getting it seen all around the world.

For a low-budget documentary to find a theatrical distribution deal borders on the impossible and after a few festival and TV showings, Kimmo and his director/producer decided to turn to self-distribution for their film.  Burning and distributing your own DVDs is very expensive, but instead of going down this road, they commissioned the creation of an application destined for the App Store.

Stonehenge Productions, based in Houston, Texas, made the application for the very reasonable cost of $300 and a 5% cut of the sales, and on the 1st January this year, the Promised Land of Heavy Metal made its iTunes debut.  For just $1.99 you get the 52-minute film, a guide book and photo galleries too.  Obviously you can download this right now for your iPhone or iPod Touch, but just think how much better it will look on the iPad…

This film, plus the selection of other indie titles available, could drive the App Store to be used to debut all kinds of independent films of all budgets.  The chances of getting your film seen by the ‘right people’ also increases thanks to the widespread use of the iPhone and the App Store, plus it offers the makers the chance to redeem some money while getting their movie seen, instead of releasing it for free via the Internet.  The iPad’s bigger screen makes an even more compelling case for iTunes distribution too.

So, who will be next to try the App Store out for their indie film?

Take a look at the trailer for the Promised Land of Heavy Metal:

(via WSJ)