Slash

October 12, 2016 · Scruffy City Hall · 8:00 p.m.

Neil is an introverted, questioning high school freshman. His main social outlet is the steamy erotic fan fiction he writes about Vanguard, the brawny, galaxy-hopping hero of a popular sci-fi franchise. When his stories are exposed in class Neil is mortified, but the fearless, effortlessly cool Julia comes to his defense.

An erotic fan fic writer herself, Julia pushes Neil to publish his stories to an online “adult” forum, where they quickly grab the attention of the site moderator, Denis. When Neil is invited to present his work at a comic con live-read event, he has to face the fact that Denis’s interest in him may be more than simply professional . . . perhaps like his own feelings for Julia.

“Liford has too light a touch, and too much compassion for his characters, to stumble across any tripwires. It helps that some of the well-cast supporting players — including Michael Ian Black as Denis and Jessie Ennis as Julia’s very pregnant buddy, Martine — spring pleasant surprises in vividly written roles. But it helps even more that leads Johnston and Marks are so appealing, both individually and as a mismatched couple.” — Variety

About the Filmmaker

Clay Liford has written and directed three features, including Wuss (SXSW 2011, AFI 2011 Audience Award Winner) and (SXSW 2010). His comedy short, My Mom Smokes Weed, has played over forty festivals, including the 2010 Sundance Film Festival. As a DP, Clay has shot 20 features, including the award-winning films St. Nick and Gayby.