Want to get your social or environmental message in front of the masses? Biodiesel advocate, author and film director Josh Tickell hopes the invitation to premiere his new documentary “Fields of Fuel” at Sundance represents a milestone on that path.

This week, Matter Network tags along, by way of the following video web log, with the film’s producer, Greg Reitman. Greg will wrangle the “Fields of Fuel” team through a gauntlet of Sundance screenings, press interviews and glitzy schmooze events. The Holy Grail for Greg and Josh is to attract a meeting or two among represented powerhouse movie distribution executives. Success with Sundance audiences, the press and ultimately a distributor represent the next steps toward getting their message to the world.

With other Sundance-premiered films like “An Inconvenient Truth” and “Who Killed the Electric Car” fresh in our memories, you might begin to believe that Sundance must be an easy launch pad for issue movies. Think again.

This year Sundance received 3,624 submissions of feature-length films. Out of those, only 121 were selected to screen. Out of the 121 selected, only two touch on environmental themes. “Fields of Fuel” apparently stood out enough to beat out 3503 films. That’s just to get in the door.

If previous years are any indicator, only a handful of any of the films screened at Sundance will get commercial distribution. That becomes the team’s next challenge, and it’s mainly based on audience reaction. Each of the aspiring films has brought along a cadre of volunteers to plaster Sundance venues with posters and hand out postcards and tchotchkes to festival attendees to compete for audience interest and enthusiasm. Some films have hundreds of evangelists working on their behalf. The “Fields of Fuel” cheerleading section consists of about forty.

At this juncture, prospects for Greg and Josh look good. Sundance programmers felt strongly enough about projected audience demand to schedule eight “Fields of Fuel” screenings. Most of the other feature-length films will get four or five. Also working in the team’s favor is an invitation to screen for a private VIP event at Robert Redford’s preserve.

As the team moves into their premiere night, we’re getting reports of a strong “Fields of Fuel” buzz among festival attendees. We’ll watch the above video player each day to see how it unfolds. Please join us.

Video web logs provided by Ryan Babenzein and Brian Graf.