Politics on the video shelves

Home video, which has become a popular front for political persuasion, will see two new documentaries hit the shelves this fall -- set for pre-election release to maximize their effect.

Michael Moore’s “Fahrenheit 9/11,” winner of the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival and the top-grossing feature-length documentary ever, is set for release by Columbia TriStar home entertainment Oct. 5. When he accepted the Cannes honor in May, the director vowed to have a DVD out in time to influence the 50% of the electorate that doesn’t vote. Among the special features: footage illuminating the tumultuous path to theaters for the film, which the Walt Disney Co. prohibited its subsidiary Miramax Films from distributing.

On Oct. 26, Lions Gate Home Entertainment will bring out Jehane Noujaim’s critically acclaimed “Control Room,” a look at the Arab media company Al Jazeera and how it disseminates information. Having taken in $2.3 million since it opened May 21, the film, released by art house distributor Magnolia Pictures, is now the 21st top-grossing documentary of all time.

Elaine Dutka