This is a fun one. Award winning writer, actor, and director Alex Backes is coming up from LA to host a special screening of the fantasy-horror film Mandy (90% on Rotten Tomatoes - Watch a Trailer.)
Starring Nicolas Cage and featuring a killer soundtrack, Mandy takes place in the Pacific Northwest in 1983. Outsiders Red Miller and Mandy Bloom lead a loving and peaceful existence when their pine-scented haven is savagely destroyed by a cult led by the sadistic Jeremiah Sand. Red is catapulted into a phantasmagoric journey filled with bloody vengeance and laced with deadly fire.
Alex is an award-winning writer/director. His first independently produced pilot presentation, Shark Bites, landed a development deal with The Walt Disney Company, where it was adapted into an animated comedy series. While Alex has been in front of the camera for national commercials for Apple and Nike, he's also directed campaigns for AAA video game titles like PUBG and The Elder Scrolls Online. But perhaps his proudest moment came when he was tasked to travel to a galaxy far, far away and write an animated short film for Lucasfilm. Star Wars: The Old Republic-Disorder has garnered 20+ million views online since its debut in 2022.
However, Alex hasn't lost touch with his independent spirit. He continues self-publishing comics and directing independent films. His short film, That's Our Time, was awarded the Grand Jury Prize by the American Cinematheque's Proof Film Festival. Most recently, he directed the latest music video for Demolition Man by the band Drug Church.
To see more of Alex’s work, check out his website.
Custom pre-show starts at 7pm featuring a screening of Alex’s award-winning short film That’s Our Time. Check out the trailer for That’s Our Time here.
Film starts at 7:30pm. This film is for mature audiences. 18+ recommended. $5 admission. You must be a Smalltown Society member or a member of Chabot’s Secret Screen to attend.