Palouse Cult Film Revival back for first time in years; will feature three films, special guest Greg Sestero.
January 27, 2022
Eric Billings’s passion for sharing cult classic films may have started over drinks with friends, but his Palouse Cult Film Revival now aims to serve the community – one “awesomely bad” film at a time.
Best Western Plus University Inn will host the third annual film revival in Moscow on Feb. 2, 10 and 11. The film revival will feature “Bleeders” and “Miracle Valley” the first two nights and conclude the series with “The Room.”
The films will begin at 7 p.m. each night, but doors will open at 6 p.m. Tickets range from $5-50 and are available on the film revival’s website. Concessions, complete with a full bar, will also be available at the event.
Billings, the founder of the festival, said he had presented a showing of Tommy Wiseau’s “The Room” every revival since his first event in 2018.
The screenings of “Miracle Valley” and “The Room” will also feature actor Greg Sestero, who starred in “The Room” and documented his experience in the New York Times bestseller, “The Disaster Artist.” Sestero then went on to write and direct “Miracle Valley.”
Billings said there is “something special” about watching the audience’s reactions to “The Room” and hearing them laugh at certain parts of the film.
“‘The Room is horrible, but it wasn’t intentional. It was intentionally trying to be good, and I think that’s where the magic is— he [Wiseau] can’t recreate that,” Billings said. “It is truly terrible, and that’s what makes it truly great.”
In creating the film revival, Billings aimed to provide a unique, nostalgic film experience for the Moscow community. He said the event also supports nonprofits like Vitalant and the West Side Food Pantry.
Dre Arman, director of tourism and marketing for the Moscow Chamber of Commerce, said supporting nonprofits and creating a shared experience for people during these isolating times is essential to the Moscow community.
“It’s a great opportunity for people to tune into a piece of subculture that they may not have otherwise been aware of,” Arman said.
Arman said Moscow has always been the “heart of the arts,” but she is seeing a new resurrection of the community’s art scene following the initial impact of COVID-19. . . Read the full article at The Daily Evergreen