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A Simple Machine

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Nick (Richard Blackmon) has a marketing job, a steady girlfriend, and crippling student debt. Struggling with the weight of expectations, he opts to downsize: dispensing with the luxuries he doesn’t need, cutting costs, swapping four wheels for two. It’s a path which leads to savings he hasn’t anticipated, physical and spiritual learnings, but which has others questioning his mental state…

Mark Hoffman’s debut feature film, inspired by Evan Schneider’s novel, is a lean, low budget gem, shot in Portland, Oregon, in black and white, with a fine score by Mark Orton (The Holdovers). Fittingly, for a tale about the virtues of simplicity, there is nothing superfluous or decadent here. But unpack it, the film reveals precious insights into the nature of “value” and “worth”, how materialism affects our sense of self, and, perhaps, the dangers attendant on any self-improvement project.

 

Aug 7 & 8: Q&A with director Mark Hoffman

 

Relevant to almost everyone.

Moviemaker magazine

Absolutely gorgeous cinematography and multifaceted story.

Matt Hurt, The Obsessive Viewer

Director

Mark Hoffman

Cast

Richard Blackmon

Credits
Country of Origin

USA

Year

2025

Language

English

Awards

Audience Awards at the Heartland, Cleveland and Lighthouse Film Festivals

19+
97 min

Book Tickets

Friday August 07

1:00 pm
First Look Fridays Guests/Q&As Hearing Assistance
VIFF Centre - VIFF Cinema
Book Now

Saturday August 08

5:15 pm
Guests/Q&As Hearing Assistance
VIFF Centre - VIFF Cinema
Book Now

Sunday August 09

6:10 pm
Hearing Assistance
VIFF Centre - Lochmaddy Studio Theatre
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Tuesday August 11

6:00 pm
Hearing Assistance
VIFF Centre - Lochmaddy Studio Theatre
Book Now

Thursday August 13

7:50 pm
Hearing Assistance
VIFF Centre - Lochmaddy Studio Theatre
Book Now

First Look Fridays: $12 Tickets

Enjoy $12 tickets at this film’s first Friday matinee screening.

Credits

Executive Producer

Mark Alan Hoffman

Producer

Alyssa Roehrenbeck, Mike Lay, Michelle Damis, Tyson Wisbrock

Screenwriter

Mark Alan Hoffman

Cinematography

Kevin Fletcher

Editor

Mark Alan Hoffman

Original Music

Mark Orton, John Hancock

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