Film Screening
Includes post-screening Q&A with the director
Wednesday, Oct 28, 2026 • 7:00pm
Victoria Conference Centre, Level One Lecture Theatre
Tickets: $20
A Simple Machine
In order to get out of debt, an indecisive young man makes a series of radically frugal lifestyle choices.
From Director / Writer Mark Alan Hoffman, and staring Richard Blackmon in a breakout lead role, the new independent feature film A SIMPLE MACHINE is a coming-of-age story following Nick Allander a recent college grad trying to figure out his life’s direction during the late stages of the pandemic. Shot in luminous black and white in Portland, Oregon by the award-winning cinematographer Kevin Fletcher (It’s What’s Inside, 2024 Sundance-winner) A SIMPLE MACHINE includes an original score by Mark Orton (best known for the Academy Award-winning film The Holdovers and Nebraska).
Nick Allander is a thoughtful, but indecisive, young man with a marketing job, a serious relationship, and a problem... he’s drowning in debt. Just when he and his partner, Marie, are about to take the next step in their relationship, Nick’s mother, a hoarder in poor health, suddenly passes prompting him to snap. Unsure of what he wants in life, Nick commits to a minimalist strategy of extreme frugality without telling Marie what he’s up to. He abandons his career, leaves his apartment, and sells his car and all possessions to secretly squat in the garage of his mother’s foreclosed home.
After taking advice from a bike mechanic who lives out of a tent, Nick fixes up an old ten-speed using Goodwill parts and tools. Freed from costs and expectations, he discovers a sense of purpose and self-reliance as he commutes around town in search of a new job. But Nick’s erratic behavior sets off suspicions for Marie, prompting him to double down on a scheme to win her back. While well-intentioned, Nick’s plans eventually backfire, forcing him to choose between committing to the woman he loves or devoting himself to a simpler existence.
A Simple Machine is a deeply human and timely story about personal freedom and the cost of wanting less in a culture built on more. At a time of economic crisis, housing instability, and digital saturation it offers something rare: a grounded, thoughtful counterpoint rooted in the deliberate choice towards simplicity and financial freedom.
Instagram: @asimplemachfilm
Recognition
Special Jury Award - Best Narrative Feature - Lighthouse International Film Festival
Audience Award - Best Narrative Feature - Lighthouse International Film Festival
Audience Award - Best Narrative Feature - Heartland International Film Festival
Audience Award - Best Narrative Feature - Cleveland International Film Festival
Made in Oregon Award - Portland Panorama Film Festival
Run Time: 1hr 40mins
Release Date: June 2026
Directed By: Mark Alan Hoffman
Written By: Mark Alan Hoffman, Evan P. Scheider
Based on the Novel: A Simple Machine, Like The Lever by Evan P. Scheider
Produced By: Alyssa Roehrenbeck, Michelle Damis, Mike Lay, Mark Alan Hoffman, Tyson Wisbrock,
Starring: Richard Blackmon, Gabriela Bloomgarden, Brad Carter