The Last Video Store

description

In this love letter to the era of the video store, we follow Nyla who accidentally uncovers a "cursed" VHS tape from Albertan-born filmmakers Cody Kennedy and Tim Rutherford (aka House of Heathens).

A magical VHS tape holds the power to connect the real world to a dimension where movie fantasy exists as reality. Nyla and the video store owner (played by Kevin Martin, owner of Edmonton's cult video store, The Lobby) unwittingly awaken a long-dormant curse that unleashes a series of classic cinematic villains plucked from the bowels of the B-movies themselves. A true celebration B-movie glory, THE LAST VIDEO STORE is a charming homage to videostores, slashers, and film nerds. With a story honouring Canuxploitation and showcasing Alberta talent, this is a crowd-pleaser with loads of gore, and character parodies offering a blast of nostalgic fun.

OFFICIAL SELECTION
Fantastic Fest 2023
NorthwestFEARFest 2023

DIRECTOR'S BIO
Cody Kennedy is a filmmaker and cinematic artist in the video game industry located in Vancouver. A steady diet of the 1980s and 1990s b-movies and a healthy dose of cinema from all corners of the globe serves as an inspiration to create his fantastic genre films with his creative partner Tim Rutherford. His short films have been selected to screen at SXSW, Fantasia, Fantastic Fest, and other international film festivals. He co-directed the NSI award-winning short THE LAST VIDEO STORE (2013), STRAIGHT TO VIDEO: THE B-MOVIE ODYSSEY (2015), and THE VIDEO STORE COMMERCIAL (2019). During the day, he works as a cinematic artist and video editor on marketing campaigns for Electronic Arts on game titles such as MASS EFFECT: ANDROMEDA (2017), ANTHEM (2019), STAR WARS: SQUADRONS (2020), FIFA (2021), THE SIMS 4 (2021), DRAGON AGE (TBD).

DIRECTOR'S BIO
Passionate about movies for as long as he can remember, Tim Rutherford has a unique approach to storytelling, inspired by Canadian greats like David Cronenberg and independent legends of the direct-to-video era. Nightmarish and captivating practical effects molded his approach to films, and Tim began experimenting with latex and sculpture in his teens. His short films have been selected to screen at SXSW, Fantasia, Fantastic Fest, and other international film festivals. He co-directed the NSI award-winning short THE LAST VIDEO STORE (2013), STRAIGHT TO VIDEO: THE B-MOVIE ODYSSEY (2015), and THE VIDEO STORE COMMERCIAL (2019). Since then, he’s worked as a Production Designer on independent films such as EXTREMITY (2018), HARPOON (2019), and in the art department on the television show FARGO.