A feature-length version of documentary Chavez - Inside the Coup, the critically acclaimed winner of the top award at this week's Banff television festival, is under negotiation for a US theatrical release says its producer, David Power of Ireland's Power Pictures.

Speaking to Screen Daily, David Power said that theatrical interest in the US was already strong prior to the Banff Grand Prize win following highly successful screenings at the South by Southwest Festival and at the Seattle Film Festival.

The longer theatrical version being shown at festivals is titled The Revolution Will Not Be Televised. Power is currently negotiating a deal with HBO for US television rights which contains a window for a theatrical release later this year.

The documentary started out as an observational portrait of the Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez when the crew found themselves unwitting bystanders at the centre of the attempted coup against him in 2002. The film is directed by Kim Bartley and Donnacha O'Brien and produced by Power Pictures in association with RTE, the Irish Film Board, BBC, ZDF, ARTE, NPS, CoBO and YLE.

The Banff jury described the documentary as "A wonderful story, brilliantly told. The energy and pace of this documentary, combined with remarkable insider footage, make it a thrilling experience for the viewer. The meticulous journalism of this program exposes the mendacious journalism of others. A combination of intelligence, passion, and humour illuminates this controversial tale of big oil, international intrigue, charismatic leadership, class struggle, revolution and ultimately, the hopes of people for real democracy."