Through a strange twist of fate, one of the most acclaimed animated films of recent years has also been one of the most difficult to see. Nina Paley’s Sita Sings the Blues, which has gotten rave reviews at film festivals worldwide, is an infectious mix of Indian legend, autobiography, and songs by the semi-forgotten jazz singer Annette Hanshaw, set to vivid animation which combines traditional hand-drawn animation, CGI, cut-and-paste, and more. A film this singular could only be made as a labor of love, and Paley, who drew simultaneously from the Ramayana and her own experiences after her husband left her, spent five years of her life finishing the film, and her effort shows in every inventive and painstakingly detailed frame of the film.

Even under the best of circumstances, Sita Sings the Blues is the kind of unique film that brings out the goodwill and affection of audiences. But the legal troubles that have surrounded the films- specifically, the demands of the rights-holders to the songs, who are asking upwards of $200,000 for their use- have made those who love the film feel protective of it in an almost proprietary way that transcends the film’s cheeky opening credit, “Your Name Here presents.” These rights issues have thusfar kept the film out of commercial release, but recently Paley has been able to locate a loophole in copyright law that will allow the film to play on public television, New York’s WNET, where it premieres on March 7 at 10:45 PM. But unless you live in the New York market or are lucky enough to catch a screening of the film (such as this year’s Ebertfest), your best chance to see Sita is to catch it streaming online. It’s currently streaming at the Reel13 web site, and will appear elsewhere following its WNET premiere.

Click here to stream Sita Sings the Blues in full. It’s well worth the 82 minutes it’ll take to watch it, take it from me.

Or, if you still need more convincing, here’s the trailer for the film: