About this Event
7th House is proud to present an evening of new films by Albert Birney, one of the most unique and distinctive contemporary filmmakers, featuring a selection of recent shorts followed by his new feature film OBEX! A Baltimore-based filmmaker and visual artist working across film, animation, performance, and video games, Birney has built an unmistakable cinematic universe rooted in tactile, handcrafted imagery, digital hauntology, surreal humor, and inventive DIY world-making—infusing his films (including Strawberry Mansion, Tux and Fanny, and Sylvio) with a sense of curiosity, offbeat warmth, and emotional sincerity that makes them feel at once whimsical, intimate, and wholly singular. For this one-night presentation, Birney has recorded an exclusive video introduction for 7th House audiences, along with a virtual Q&A that will follow the film.
OBEX
In pre-internet 1987, Conor and his dog Sandy live a life of seclusion, lost in the slow-rendering graphics of early Macs and televisions aglow with late-night horror movie marathons. But when he begins playing OBEX, a new and mysterious state-of-the-art computer game, he finds himself trapped in a low-tech but high-stakes analog hellscape as the line between reality and game begins to blur.
Audacious and uncanny, writer-director Albert Birney’s OBEX is a delightfully skewed lo-fi fantasy shot in striking black and white. Brimming with the endearingly childlike sense of play, curiosity, and imaginative make-believe that runs throughout Birney’s work, the film revisits the dawn of personal computing through the textures of late-’80s domestic life—VHS tapes stacked beside humming CRTs, dot-matrix printers chattering in dimly lit rooms. With the help of charmingyl lo-fi special effects, Birney conjures a world where obsolete machines seem charged with memory, mystery, and meaning, drawing on his lifelong love of early video games and their mythic, quest-driven missions. Channeling the spirit of classics like Super Mario Bros., The Legend of Zelda, and Final Fantasy, OBEX gradually shifts from an intimate portrait of domestic solitude into a surreal analog odyssey that unfolds with the logic of an 8-bit adventure.
True to Birney’s intuitive, image-led process, the story began not with plot but with a constellation of objects and impressions—a cicada in a trash can, aging computers, a stack of discarded VHS tapes, his beloved dog—out of which the character of Conor and his world slowly emerged. Developed organically with a close-knit group of longtime collaborators, the film moves with the exploratory, improvisatory energy of a homespun creation. Co-starring alongside his real-life K9 companion, Birney himself stars as Conor, lending the work an especially intimate and quietly autobiographical resonance.
Created in collaboration with cinematographer/editor Pete Ohs and featuring a score by Animal Collective’s Josh Dibb, OBEX moves fluidly between analog reality and 8-bit imagination, nostalgia and unease. At once playful and melancholic, the film reflects on solitude, media saturation, and the strange intimacy we form with the technologies that shape our inner worlds—offering a surreally nostalgic nightmare that looks back to 1987 to better understand the loneliness of our always-online present.
Dir. Albert Birney, 2025, 90 mins, United States, English, Not Rated (Suggested PG-13), Digital.
PRECEDED BY:
TANK FANTASY (2025) – 5 mins.
Have you ever wanted to experience life as a fish?
Welcome to the Center for Marine Biology Cyberspace Studies. We’re so excited you are visiting us today!
GRUENFELD (2024) – 10 mins.
A knight in an accursed and shattered world tempts fate with a mysterious song.
FIREFLIES ALONG THE FENCE (2025) – 5 mins.
One of the light creatures comes close. It blinks right here, beside my arm. I can see the body. It is small, with wings.
Special thanks to Alexandra Fredericks of Oscilloscope Laboratories and Albert Birney.
TICKETS: $12 (In Person Event Only)
Please email [email protected] or phone 323-663-2167 with any questions.
ADVISORY DISCLAIMER
With some exception, The Philosophical Research Society’s 7th House Screenings does not typically provide advisory warnings about potentially upsetting content or subject matter, as sensitivities are particular to each viewer. Please be sure to read event listings, research on the web, or visit Common Sense Media, IMDb, and DoesTheDogDie.com for thorough info on content and age-appropriateness. If you have any specific content advisory questions, please email [email protected].
CONTENT DISCLAIMER
The views, opinions, and thoughts expressed within exhibited works are solely those of their creators and may not represent those of the Philosophical Research Society (PRS), its affiliates, or any individuals associated with PRS. Screenings are intended for educational and entertainment purposes.
ACCESSIBILITY
PRS wants all guests to be able to enjoy our events safely and comfortably. If you require any accessibility accommodation, please reach out to [email protected] before showtime and we will be happy to assist you.
REFUND POLICIES
All sales are final. There are no refunds for PRS events , except in the event of a medical emergency, including but not limited to a positive COVID-19 test. Ticket exchanges may be granted on a case by case basis, pending circumstances.
In the event that PRS is forced to cancel an event entirely, tickets will be refunded or vouchers offered for a rescheduled event.
PARKING
We encourage attendees to consider carpooling, walking or biking to events if possible, and please be considerate of our Los Feliz neighbors when parking. Nearby street parking is available, as well as limited parking onsite at PRS in the front lot (entry from Los Feliz Blvd. when heading east).
PRS EVENT POLICIES
- We reserve the right to refuse service to anyone.
- Events are subject to change without notice, including guest speakers and/or performers.
- We encourage you to arrive at least 30 min. before the scheduled event start time to find parking, enjoy the Bookstore and take your seats.
- Please turn off all mobile devices before the show. Talking and texting are not allowed during the events.
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- We strongly encourage guests to wear masks to PRS events to prevent the spread of infectious diseases.
- PRS allows Service Animals into the facility under ADA and state guidelines. For further details please visit www.ADA.gov. No animals permitted whose sole function is to provide comfort or emotional support, under ADA guidelines and CA Health Code.
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Event Venue & Nearby Stays
Philosophical Research Society, 3910 Los Feliz Boulevard, Los Angeles, United States
USD 14.64
