MoveOn PAC, the politicalaction arm of online democracy advocates MoveOn.org, is trumpeting an earlysuccess in its campaign to drum up support for Fahrenheit 9/11 ahead of this weekend's opening.

The group claims it hassecured more than 107,000 pledges from the public saying they will see MichaelMoore's stirring Palme D'Or winner in its first three days of release.

The picture will open inmore than 750 theatres nationwide through Lions Gate, IFC and HarveyWeinstein's Fellowship Adventure Group, and goes out in two New York Cityvenues two days earlier on Jun 23.

Meanwhile, Lions Gate Filmspresident Tom Ortenberg is preparing to contest the picture's R rating beforethe MPAA's ratings committee on Tuesday (22).

The rating sparked an outcrywhen the MPAA awarded it due to several repeated uses of expletives, graphicimages of victims of war and abusive behaviour by US troops.

As matters stand, nobodyunder the age of 17 will be able to see Fahrenheit 9/11 unless they are accompanied by a parent or adultguardian. The age requirement to join the US Army is 18.

In a letter of support toOrtenberg, former New York governor Mario Cuomo urged for the more lenientPG-13 rating, arguing that younger audiences who will be eligible to fight inseveral years time deserve to know the truth about their Administration and theworld they live in.

Cuomo continued: "Surely avigorous airing of the questions [Fahrenheit 9/11] raises can only benefit our country by helping usto make thoughtful choices with respect to the individuals and the issuescontending for our support.

"Without such a debate, thepolitical discussion would continue to be dominated by millions of dollars of28-second commercials, unchallenged speeches delivered to captive audiences andone-or-two televised face-to-face encounters by the candidates for Presidentthat will hardly scratch the surface of all the complex issues facing us."