I first heard about Andrew Bujalski’s Computer Chess shortly after it premiered at Sundance earlier this year, and at the time, I couldn’t quite get a handle on what it was supposed to be. All I knew is that it was some sort of period mockumentary that involved socially awkward humans playing chess against computers (which was obviously that was more than enough to get me interested). The movie went on to win the Alfred P. Sloan Feature Film Prize, which is awarded to a noteworthy film dealing with science or technology as a theme (previous winners include Primer, Sleep Dealer and Robot & Frank).

Kino Lorber ended up acquiring the film and they have since released an official trailer, which is somewhat puzzling and yet intriguing at the same time. The comedy seems pretty subtle but the period detail is impressive (the movie was shot on vintage Sony AVC-3260 video cameras from the late ’60s). Since Bujalski is also one of the key players in the mumblecore movement, I really have no idea what to expect but I’m definitely interested in tracking this one down. Computer Chess hits select theatres on July 17th; check out the trailer after the jump and let us know what you think.