Outside the Box [Office] and NEON invite you to attend
 

A Special Sneak Preview Screening of

HELL OF A SUMMER

Written & Directed by Finn Wolfhard and Billy Bryk
Produced by Billy Bryk, Michael Costigan, Fred Hechinger, Jay Van Hoy, and Finn Wolfhard

Followed by a Q&A with Finn Wolfhard, Billy Bryk, and Fred Hechinger

6:30 P.M. on Thursday, March 20th, 2025

The Eileen Norris Cinema Theatre at the Frank Sinatra Hall
3507 Trousdale Parkway, Los Angeles, CA 90007

FREE ADMISSION. OPEN TO THE PUBLIC. RSVPs ARE NON-TRANSFERABLE.

FOOD AND DRINKS ARE STRICTLY PROHIBITED IN THE AUDITORIUM.
 

CLICK HERE TO RSVP

In Theaters on Friday, April 4th, 2025

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About Hell of a Summer

Hell of a Summer follows 24-year-old camp counselor Jason Hochberg (Hechinger), who arrives at Camp Pineway thinking his biggest problem is that he feels out of touch with his teenage co-workers. What he doesn’t know is that a masked killer is lurking on the campgrounds, brutally picking counselors off one by one.

Provided courtesy of Neon. Rated R. Running time: 88 minutes.

https://www.neonrated.com/film/hell-of-a-summer

About the Guests

BILLY BRYK | WRITER, DIRECTOR, PRODUCER

Billy Bryk is a filmmaker and actor who divides his time between Toronto and New York. Most recently Bryk can be seen opposite Julianne Moore in Jesse Eisenberg’s directorial debut When You Finish Saving The World, which premiered at Sundance Film Festival. Bryk’s upcoming directorial debut Hell of a summer, which he co-wrote, co-directed and starred in, alongside friend and creative collaborator Finn Wolfhard (Stranger Things), is a coming-of-age horror-comedy with 30WEST and Aggregate Films.

FINN WOLFHARD | WRITER, DIRECTOR, PRODUCER

Multi-hyphenate actor, musician and director Finn Wolfhard is best known for his starring role as Mike Wheeler in the global phenomenon Netflix Original Series “Stranger Things.” The hit series has received various accolades, including a Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series; two MTV Movie & TV Awards for Show of the Year; an AFI award for TV Program of the Year; and a Golden Globe nomination for Best Drama Television Series. To date, the series has received 51 Primetime Emmy Award nominations, including four for Outstanding Drama Series. The fourth season became Netflix’s most watched season to date, premiering in two volumes in the summer of 2022, breaking global streaming records. The season set new benchmarks as the first streaming show to surpass the seven billion Nielsen viewing minutes mark.

Wolfhard wrapped production on his feature film directorial debut “Hell of a Summer,” which will premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival in September 2023. He co-wrote and co-directed the horror-comedy with Billy Bryk and will also star in the film alongside Fred Hechinger. Wolfhard lent his voice to Guillermo del Toro’s Academy Award winning stop-motion animated musical movie “Pinocchio,” which premiered on Netflix. Based on the classic Carlo Collodi tale, the critically acclaimed film follows the extraordinary journey of a wooden boy magically brought to life by a father’s wish.

Earlier this year, Wolfhard starred alongside Oscar winner Julianne Moore in the A24 comedy-drama feature “When You Finish Saving the World,” written and directed by Jesse Eisenberg and produced by Emma Stone. The mother-son story was inspired by Eisenberg’s Audible Original of the same name, where Wolfhard voiced the role of Ziggy.

Wolfhard starred in the box office hit theatrical feature “Ghostbusters: Afterlife,” the newest chapter in the “Ghostbusters” universe from director Jason Reitman. He starred alongside Paul Rudd, Carrie Coon and McKenna Grace and recently wrapped production on the aciticipated sequel, set for release in 2024. Wolfhard was the recipient of the 2022 Saturn Award for the “Best Younger Actor in a Film” for “Ghostbusters: Afterlife.”

In 2020, Wolfhard starred in Amblin’s haunted house film “The Turning,” opposite Mackenzie Davis and Brooklynn Prince. In 2019 alone, Wolfhard co-starred in three diverse feature films. He reprised his role of Richie Tozier in New Line’s blockbuster sequel “It: Chapter Two.” He co-starred in Warner Bros & Amazon Studios’ “The Goldfinch,” an adaptation of Donna Tartt’s Pulitzer Prize winning & New York Times best-selling novel. Wolfhard played the role of Young Boris alongside an all-star cast including Ansel Elgort, Nicole Kidman, Sarah Paulson and Jeffrey Wright. Lastly, he voiced the character Pugsley Addams in MGM’s animated “The Addams Family” movie.

In September 2017, Wolfhard moved from the small screen to the silver screen, playing the lead role of Ritchie Tozier in the film adaptation of the Stephen King novel “IT.” Fans of the novel will remember Wolfhard’s role as Trashmouth, part of the Losers Club. The film premiered to critical acclaim, breaking opening weekend box office records in its debut and going on to become the highest grossing horror movie ever. Wolfhard, along with his cast, received the Best On-Screen Team award for “IT” at the 2018 MTV Movie & TV Awards. He also starred in “Dog Days,” alongside Vanessa Hudgens and Nina Dobrev.

Wolfhard can be heard in the hit Netflix animated series “Carmen Sandiego,” which ran for four seasons. He has also been a strong supporter of independent voices in animation. He played a role in the Adult Swim series “JJ Villard’s Fairy Tales,” as well as a role shared with his older brother Nick Wolfhard in the recent surprise hit “Smiling Friends.” Alongside his brother Nick and actress Anya Chalotra, Wolfhard will headline the voice cast of the upcoming animated series “NEW-GEN,” based on the comic series distributed by Marvel and created by Chris Matonti, J.D. Matonti, and Julia Coppola.

His first role was in the 2013 independent film "Aftermath". After appearing in more independent films such as "The Resurrection", Wolfhard moved into roles on television shows "The 100" and "Supernatural".

In 2020, Wolfhard made his directorial debut with his first short film “Night Shifts.” The character driven comedy tells the story of two old friends reconnecting during an unexpected encounter one night. The short was accepted into the Fantasia Film Festival, where it received the Silver Audience Award for ‘Best Canadian Short.” It was also accepted to both the Calgary International Film Festival and The Barcelona International Short Film Festival. In 2021, “Night Shifts” screened at the prestigious TIFF Next Wave Film Festival.

In addition to acting and directing, Wolfhard has a passion for music and formed a garage-rock band called Calpurnia. Calpurnia released their debut EP “Scout” in June 2018. The band’s first single “City Boy” debuted at No. 23 on Billboard’s Alternative Digital Song Chart and hit No. 1 on Spotify’s Global Viral 50 playlist. During their three-year run, the band toured across North America and Europe. In the Fall of 2019, Wolfhard and drummer Malcolm Craig formed The Aubreys, releasing their first official EP entitled “Soda & Pie” in March 2020 through the independent record label AWAL. During the pandemic, The Aubreys released several standalone singles including “Smoke Bomb,” “No Offerings” and “Sand In My Bed.” The band also contributed "Getting B`etter (Otherwise)" to the soundtrack for “The Turning.” In November 2021, THE AUBREYS released their first full studio album “Karaoke Alone.” They performed for their first live audience at the renowned rock festival Shaky Knees in Atlanta and were featured on the cover of Alternative Press Magazine.

Wolfhard also used his growing platform to host "Strange 80s," a benefit concert to raise funds for Sweet Relief, an organization which offered assistance to struggling musicians in need of medical care and healthcare.

He resides in Vancouver, Canada.

FRED HECHINGER | ACTOR, PRODUCER

Fred Hechinger—whose soulful approach to acting suggests an artist well beyond his years—is fast emerging as one of the most in-demand and versatile actors of his generation, as evidenced by his recent collaborations with filmmakers including Paul Greengrass, Barry Jenkins, Bo Burnham, Mike White, Scott Cooper, and Joe Wright, and a range of projects across every conceivable genre of storytelling.

In 2021 alone, Fred starred as a series regular in HBO’s Emmy-winning first season of THE WHITE LOTUS, a breakout of the ensemble for his work as ‘Quinn’, the gamer son of Mark (Steve Zahn) and Nicole (Connie Britton) who experiences the wonder of nature while in Hawaii for the first time; in Barry Jenkins’s Peabody Award-winning limited series, THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD, in which Hechinger had a standout episode focused on his character, Young Arnold Ridgeway; as Seth Warshavsky, the silicon valley hustler with a low moral compass, in Hulu’s Emmy Nominated PAM AND TOMMY; and as one of the central characters in the FEAR STREET trilogy of Netflix films directed by Leigh Janiak, based on the classic Fear Street YA novels by R.L. Stine.

Next, he stars as iconic comic book villain Chameleon opposite Aaron Taylor-Johnson in Marvel’s KRAVEN THE HUNTER—which generated huge buzz for its brief but gripping reel of footage shown at this year’s CinemaCon—directed by J.C. Chandor and also starring Oscar winners Russell Crowe and Ariana DeBose. Sony releases the film worldwide in October 2023.

At only 23 years old, Fred has already worked with a number of the world’s finest directors—and he can now add Ridley Scott to that list, having landed the coveted role of Emperor Geta in sequel to the Oscar-winning GLADIATOR, which will also star Paul Mescal, Denzel Washington, Pedro Pascal, and more. The film, in production this summer in Malta, is slated for a November 2024 release by Paramount.

Hechinger recently wrapped production on HELL OF A SUMMER. The film will be co-directed by Finn Wolfhard and Billy Bryk, who will also star in the film alongside Hechinger, who in turn serves as a producer. The film is a contemporary horror-comedy based on their original script and is produced by 30WEST, as well as Aggregate Films, Jason Bateman, and Michael Costigan.

Most recently he was seen in THE PALE BLUE EYE, alongside Christian Bale and Harry Melling from critically acclaimed director, Scott Cooper. He was also seen in BUTCHER’S CROSSING alongside Nicolas Cage, which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival. Additionally, Hechinger starred in Netflix’s adaptation of A.J. Finn’s best-selling novel THE WOMAN IN THE WINDOW opposite Amy Adams, Gary Oldman, Julianne Moore and Jennifer Jason Leigh, directed by Joe Wright and from a screenplay by Pulitzer Prize winner Tracy Letts. The Guardian listed Fred as a “standout” for his performance.

Highlights from his budding filmography so far include Paul Greengrass’s Oscar-nominated epic, NEWS OF THE WORLD; Bo Burnham’s Golden Globe-nominated comedy EIGHTH GRADE from A24; the acclaimed short film, DAVID, opposite Will Ferrell and William Jackson Harper, and the directorial debut of actor-turned-filmmaker Zach Woods; Craig Johnson’s teen romance comedy ALEX STRANGELOVE; and the intense drama HUMAN CAPITAL, in which he co-starred opposite Liev Schrieber, Peter Sarsgaard, and Marisa Tomei.

He also recently stepped behind the camera, having directed the music video for the song “Triptych”—a single from the debut album of emerging singer-songwriter Samia—which depicts an unexpected love affair between the singer and a ventriloquist dummy.

Hechinger—who came of age in New York City and continues to reside there—attributes his appreciation for and pursuit of the arts to his time spent at artist-friendly NYC spots such as Film Forum, MoMA, The Public Theater, Museum of the Moving Image, The Tank NYC, and Uprights Citizens Brigade Theater, to name a few.

About Outside the Box [Office]

Outside the Box [Office] is a weekly showcase for upcoming releases highlighting world cinema, documentary and independent film titles. The series draws from around the globe to present movies that may challenge, inspire or simply entertain.

To view the calendar of screenings, click here

To SUBSCRIBE to our MAILING LIST for upcoming free screenings and events, e-mail the word "Subscribe" to: aago@cinema.usc.edu
 

Check-In & Reservations

This program is open to all eligible individuals. The USC School of Cinematic Arts operates all of its programs and activities consistent with the University’s Notice of Non-Discrimination. Eligibility is not determined based on race, sex, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or any other prohibited factor.

This screening is free of charge and open to the Public. A reservation confirmation will automatically be sent to your e-mail account upon successfully making an RSVP through this website. Doors will open at 6:00 P.M.

All SCA screenings are OVERBOOKED to ensure seating capacity in the theater, therefore seating is not guaranteed based on RSVPs. The RSVP list will be checked in on a first-come, first-served basis until the theater is full. Once the theater has reached capacity, we will no longer be able to admit guests, regardless of RSVP status.

Accessibility Needs

Individuals with disabilities who need accommodations to attend this event may contact Alessandro Ago, Executive Director, Film Programming and Special Projects, at aago@cinema.usc.edu or 213-740-2330. It is requested that individuals requiring accommodations or auxiliary aids such as sign language interpreters and alternative format materials notify us at least seven days prior to the event. Every reasonable effort will be made to provide reasonable accommodations in an effective and timely manner.

Parking

On-campus parking at the University of Southern California is limited. We recommend buying a day pass for the Royal Street Structure, located at the intersection of Royal Street and W. Jefferson Blvd. Parking passes are $20/car. For more information about parking at USC, please visit USC Transportation Website:

https://transnet.usc.edu/index.php/daily-and-hourly-parking/
https://transnet.usc.edu/index.php/about-us/entrance-hours/

Contact Information

Name: Alessandro Ago
Email: aago@cinema.usc.edu