This is a documentary about an event that happened in an all-too-plausible alternate universe—a universe in which Bill Gates is dead, cut down by an assassin’s bullet in late 1999.

The alleged culprit, Alek Hidell, a black man, was subsequently killed in a gun battle with a lone policeman. Though most of the world accepts the official lone gunman story — others are skeptical. So skeptical, in fact, that they form the Citizens for Truth, a group dedicated to uncovering the truth of who really killed Bill Gates. The film is a penetrating look at this group, following their day-to-day activities as they prepare their own independent investigation of Gates’ death and a possible L.A.P.D. cover-up, face hostility from the press and an indifferent public, and struggle with their own internal squabbles.

This the most convincing mockumentary you’ve ever seen — so accurately simulated it makes real documentaries look fake. From the Zapruderesque footage of Gates’ death, to the computer simulations and magazine covers, the non-acting of the amazing cast, the police interrogation tapes, and the ingenious Web sites devoted to this alternate world. Nothing So Strange will have you not only believing in their premise, you’ll join the crusade to expose the “Garcetti Report” (the L.A. District Attorney’s official report on the murder) as a pack of lies. And who is the Running Man?

— Tod Booth

 8th Street Cinemas B, Saturday, March 8, 9:30 PM

8th Street Cinemas B, Sunday, March 9, 7:15 PM