LMF Presents: Mad World – Donnie Darko and Cult Cinema
Sat 31 Oct
|The Box, Picturehouse @ FACT
A four-hour talk and workshop on Donnie Darko and cult cinema. Explore the film’s strange storytelling and how audiences give films a life beyond their first release.
Time & Location
31 Oct 2026, 12:30 – 16:30
The Box, Picturehouse @ FACT, 88 Wood Street, Liverpool L1 4DQ, United Kingdom
About the event
Some films get watched once. Donnie Darko tends to start an argument, send someone looking for an explanation, or persuade them to watch it all over again.
Mad World is an afternoon talk and workshop at Picturehouse @ FACT in Liverpool, exploring Richard Kelly’s film and what we mean when we call something a cult classic. We’ll consider how films find devoted audiences through home video, repeat screenings and word of mouth, sometimes long after their first cinema release.
Donnie Darko gives us plenty to work with. We’ll look closely at scenes, listen to how the soundtrack changes their mood, and compare readings of Frank and the questions the film leaves open. The conversation will take in the history of cult cinema, with space to discuss other films you think deserve another audience.
If you write or make films, the afternoon offers a way to think about your relationship with…