Sane Inside Insanity - The Phenomenon of Rocky Horror
A special fundraising event to mark the 90th anniversary of the Canadian Film Institute

Director: Andrew Zerr,  Germany 2025

Did you know the first time North American audiences ever laid eyes on The Rocky Horror Picture Show, it happened right here in Ottawa? 

On August 15, 1975, the Canadian Film Institute (CFI) introduced audiences to an indie movie that would later become one of the world’s most legendary cult films. Fifty years to the day, join us for the premiere of a new documentary that tells the incredible but true story behind the Rocky Horror phenomenon. On the 50th anniversary of its unleashing of Frank-N-Furter and friends to North American moviegoers, the CFI is proud to present this lively, entertaining deep dive into the remarkable chapter of cinema history that began right here in Ottawa.

 Sane Inside Insanity - The Phenomenon of Rocky Horror chronicles the evolution of this shaggy, randy, raucous drag musical from its controversial arrival on London’s independent theatre scene to its complex development as a screenplay to its glorious film version arriving in Ottawa on August 15, 1975. Featuring rare footage of early theatrical productions of the show, interviews with cast members past and present (Tim Curry, Richard O’Brien, Barry Bostwick), and testimonials by fans who embraced and are still embracing the film, this revealing documentary tells the amazing, utterly unlikely story of how this movie became (and remains!) a worldwide pop culture sensation.