A Simple Machine

The Sedona International Film Festival is proud to present the Northern Arizona premiere of “A Simple Machine” showing Sept. 18-24 at the Alice Gill-Sheldon and Mary D. Fisher Theatres.

“A Simple Machine” — the award-winning debut feature film from Mark Alan Hoffman — is a deeply human story about economic independence, personal freedom, and the cost of wanting less in a culture built on more.

The film follows Nick Allander (Richard Blackmon), a recent college graduate drowning in debt who quietly dismantles his own life in pursuit of radical frugality and self-reliance, but without telling the woman he loves. What begins as a private experiment in minimalism becomes a reckoning with identity, responsibility, and the meaning of freedom in a market-driven world.

Central to the film’s visual and philosophical language is the bicycle as symbol and instrument. For Nick, the bike becomes both a practical solution and quiet rebellion: a tool of economic independence, mobility without debt, and a form of technology that enhances human agency rather than diminishing it. In a city where cycling is cultural currency, “A Simple Machine” reframes the bicycle as something deeper: a deliberate choice toward simplicity, dignity, and embodied presence.

“Relevant to almost everyone in America.” — MovieMaker

“Absolutely gorgeous cinematography and multifaceted story.” — Matt Hurt, The Obsessive Viewer

“The film reveals precious insights into the nature of ‘value’ and ‘worth’.” — Vancouver International Film Fest Centre

“A Simple Machine” will be shown at the Alice Gill-Sheldon and Mary D. Fisher Theatres Sept. 18-24. Showtimes will be Friday, Saturday and Thursday, Sept. 18, 19 and 24 at 6:30 p.m.; Sunday, Sept. 20 at 4:00 p.m.; and Monday and Tuesday, Sept. 21 and 22 at 3:30 p.m.

Tickets are $12, or $9 for Film Festival members. For tickets and more information, please call 928-282-1177. Both the theatre and film festival office are located at 2030 W. Hwy. 89A, in West Sedona.