(L. to r.) Director and co-producers Stephen Alex Vasquez of Jackson Heights and Carmine Rizzo of Whitestone pose beneath the marquee of the Jackson Triplex Cinema that displays the title of their new hit independent documentary, “The Electro Wars”. Photo Jason D. Antos A new independent documentary by two Queens natives about electronic music made its New York premiere on July 9 at the Jackson Triplex Cinema in Jackson Heights.

Directed and co-produced by Stephen Alex Vasquez from Jackson Heights and Carmine Rizzo of Whitestone, “The Electro Wars” has gathered a worldwide cult following since preview clips have appeared on electronic music themed blogs and Facebook.

The film, which took two years to make, chronicles the rise of electro-house music in the United States and its influence on mainstream popular music while attempting to dissolve the borders between the different genres.

“Everyone has a different opinion of what defines electronic music,” Vasquez said. “When electronic music started decades ago it had a very simple concept and style but today it is more sophisticated because it’s incorporated into all genres of music like rap, hip-hop, rhythm and blues and even rock and roll and country music.”

The documentary is packed with interviews with pioneers of the electronic music industry including Moby, Lil’ John, Justice, Ninja Sonik, Matt and Kim and Boys Noize. Many of the interviews were conducted at clubs and concerts with some right after the artist’s performance adding a very spontaneous feel to the documentary.

“The Electro Wars” also takes an in depth look into the lives of the new wave of electronic music artist known as “bedroom artist”. These individuals do not create electronic music in the confines of a multi-million dollar studio but in the comfort of their own homes with just a keyboard and the audio editing program Pro Tools for Apple Computers. These artists, not bound to a contract from a high profile record producer or label, can release their music independently.

“Bedroom artists sometimes get more recognition than mainstream artists who have their albums in stores and are constantly heard on the radio,” Rizzo said.

The film has gained positive support from the music community and has accumulated a following via the Internet creating a demand for screenings in several cities across the country and in other countries as well. Vasquez has already been invited to screen preview cuts of the film in Amsterdam, Costa Rica and Las Vegas. Vasquez and Rizzo are scheduled to show a preview of the film in South Africa this August.

“We are very fortunate to show our film in Jackson Heights because it is so close to the neighborhoods we grew up in,” Rizzo said. “It’s really an honor.”

The Astoria born Rizzo met aspiring filmmaker Vasquez outside of the food court at Queensborough Community College. Within minutes Vasquez cast Rizzo in his first short film.

The groundbreaking documentary made its New York debut in one of the city’s most historic theaters. Designed by Herbert J. Krapp, the Jackson Theatre, 40-31 82nd St., opened on December 26, 1924 as a single screen movie theatre with a total seating capacity of 1,500. It was built and operated by the small Grob & Knobel chain, which sold it to William Fox in 1928. The Jackson Theatre had no stage facilities and never presented vaudeville, though during the silent film era, it had a resident orchestra that played accompaniment to the movies. The theatre was also equipped with a Wurlitzer 2 manual, 7 rank theatre organ. After several closings and slight renovations, the facility was reopened on May 22, 2010 as the Jackson Triplex Cinema.

The film’s creators hope that with universal exposure it will be purchased by a major film distributor.

“Hopefully this film will get picked up by a distribution company and then can be shown on the Internet in its entirety,” Vasquez said. “Once that happens the film will reach a bigger audience than we ever dreamed possible.”

The next screening is scheduled for July 21 at the Brooklyn Bowl, 61 Wythe Ave. in Brooklyn.

For more information, visit www.theelectrowars.com or visit the film’s homepage on www.facebook.com.