The documentary film Transcendent Man (2011, 87 minutes), has been released exclusively on iTunes in Canada, rising to #7 among all movies in its first day of sales.

The critically acclaimed movie will be available March 1 on iTunes in the U.S. and on DVD in Canada the same day. It will also be available starting March 1 on Movies On Demand on cable in the U.S.

Transcendent Man chronicles the life and controversial ideas of inventor, futurist, and author Ray Kurzweil. Director Barry Ptolemy follows Kurzweil around the globe as he presents the daring arguments from his bestselling book, The Singularity is Near: When Humans Transcend Biology. Kurzweil predicts that with the ever-accelerating rate of technological change, “humanity is fast approaching an era in which our intelligence will become increasingly non-biological and millions of times more powerful.”

Kurzweil’s ideas were also the subject of a recent Time cover story, “2045: The Year Man Becomes Immortal.”

Theatrical Event Tour

The film launched February 3 on a multi-city tour. Each screening included a personal appearance by Ray Kurzweil speaking on accelerating technology and its impact on society and a Q&A with Kurzweil and Ptolemy.

“New York, San Jose, and two L.A. screenings of the movie have all been amazingly successful,” says producer Felicia Ptolemy. “New York sold out a 340-person-capacity theater, San Jose sold out a 255-capacity theater, and Los Angeles sold out two nights of a 600-capacity theater.

“The response has been overwhelmingly positive at each of these showings, with enthusiastic crowds at the Q&A during and after the screening. Along with appreciating the power of Ray’s ideas, audiences have been repeatedly moved by his personal story.”

The tour heads next to Washington, D.C. and Boston in March and London in April, with Toronto, San Francisco, and several additional cities planned.

For ticket sales, digital-download pre-orders, a free download of a deleted scene, recent press, and information on hosting a screening, visit the film’s website.

Radically optimistic documentary

Transcendent Man has been called “one of the top ten documentaries of the year” by the International Documentary Association and Ain’t It Cool News says, “not only is Transcendent Man the must-see film of 2011, it might just change your life forever.”

In Kurzweil’s post-biological world, boundaries blur between human and machine, real and virtual. Human aging and illness are reversed and world hunger and poverty are solved. Throughout the film, Kurzweil maintains a radically optimistic view of the future, while emphasizing the importance of addressing inherent dangers. “This will be the dawning of a new civilization,” he says, “enabling us to transcend our biological limitations.”

Director Ptolemy explores the implications of these changes and the potential threats they pose to civilization in dialogues with world leader Colin Powell, journalist Kevin Kelly, musician Stevie Wonder, and technologists Hugo de Garis, Peter Diamandis, Kevin Warwick, and Dean Kamen. Award-winning American composer Philip Glass contributes original theme music.