A Simple Machine
July 26, 2026
7pm | SIFF Film Center
Presented by Grand Illusion Cinema. Shot in luminous black and white in Portland, Oregon, A Simple Machine is a coming-of-age story following Nick Allander (Richard Blackmon in a breakout lead role), a recent college grad trying to figure out his life’s direction during the late stages of the pandemic. In a last-ditch attempt to get out of debt, Nick makes a series of radically frugal lifestyle choices without telling his girlfriend (Gabriela Bloomgarden) that he's going off the grid.
With writer/director Mark Alan Hoffman joining for a live intro and Q&A.
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SIFF year-round passes and vouchers are not valid for this screening.
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. Based on the novel "A Simple Machine, Like the Lever" by Evan P. Schneider.
“…relevant to almost everyone in America, as affordability becomes one of our biggest worries.” —Tim Molloy, MovieMaker
- Director: Mark Alan Hoffman
- Principal Cast: Richard Blackmon, Gabriela Bloomgarden, Brad Carter, Smack Louis, Shannon K. Dunn
- Country: USA
- Year: 2025
- Running Time: 100 min.
- Language: English