If you have not heard about District 9, then either it is because you do not have access to youtube, to the d-9 website, facebook, twitter, myspace or the entire internet for that matter, or you have been living under a rock.

Having watched the trailer a few months ago, after having been sent the link by email, twice, my colleagues and myself were quite taken aback, unable to decide whether this was a hoax, or a mockumentary on the xenophobic violence which occurred around the country about a year ago.

Apparently it is neither.  District 9 is a movie filmed in Johannesburg about a world where humans and non-humans have lived in the same city separated by barriers for years.  It is starting on the 14th of August 2009, in just over 2 weeks.

Click Here to watch the trailer

If after watching that trailer your first thought was not “I have to go see that!” then rest assured that it will be after you have visited www.d-9.com.  But the best thing about this movie is that even though it hasn’t been released yet, it has already irrupted into a full internet experience with a dedicated interactive website, blog, and several other supporting sites where you can learn about the human point of view, the non-human point of view, the MNU (in charge of controlling the non-humans) .  The elaborate viral campaign includes links to check for non-human sitings in your area and even learn about the reproductive system of the aliens. And each site comes with at handy “translate to English” button if it is a non-human site.

If you stay on the site for just a little too long, you could be fooled into believing that District 9 actually exists, that it is all very real and that humans are not always as great as they make themselves out to be.

Not only is it all over the internet but it’s all over everywhere.  Marketing for the movie has extended to billboards, bus stops and posters around cities.

All the hype is getting me excited about seeing this movie.  Here’s hoping its as awesome as it looks.