Long Beach, CA, August 25, 2026 –(PR.com)– Hometown talent meets bold new cinema as Long Beach actor, voiceover artist, and singer Ray Buffer commands the screen as the formidable antagonist Frank Beatty in the genre-blending short film *The Lord of All Future Space and Time*. The film screens at the historic Art Theatre on Saturday, August 29, at 12:00 noon as part of the inaugural Long Beach Film Festival.
Written and directed by Chris Paul Russell and produced by Epic Level Entertainment, the 24-minute short fuses classic Western revenge with mind-bending science fiction. The story follows a grief-stricken cowboy whose hanging is interrupted when a mysterious duffel bag from the future explodes into existence over the Nevada desert, launching him on a high-stakes mission of vengeance that rewrites the very fabric of space and time. Buffer’s performance as Frank Beatty anchors the film with controlled intensity and sinister presence, standing opposite a strong ensemble that includes Roy Williams Jr. and Mark Benninghofen.
Buffer, a 14-year Long Beach resident originally from Florida who has made California home since 1999, brings a wealth of experience to the role. He has appeared on television and streaming in “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” “Rhett and Link’s Wonderhole,” and “Into the Wild Frontier,” with film credits that include “dATE,” “My Face,” “Skycrash,” and “Toad.”
The screening arrives as a highlight of the brand-new Long Beach Film Festival, a two-day celebration of independent storytelling taking place August 29–30 at the landmark Art Theatre on Retro Row. The festival itself was born from an unexpected conversation at a children’s birthday party in a Signal Hill playground. Festival board president Teodor Todorov struck up a talk with local filmmaker Hunter Stiebel after spotting his Sundance T-shirt. Though Stiebel initially pushed back—“It’s so much work”—he soon joined as director of programming, determined to build a stronger local cinephile community. What began as that casual exchange has grown into a volunteer-driven event featuring features, short-film blocks, and industry panels, with a clear vision of becoming both world-class and deeply rooted in Long Beach.
Buffer expressed his excitement about sharing the film so close to home. “It’s a great pleasure to attend a film festival screening essentially in my own backyard,” he said. “Congratulations to the organizers on bringing this exciting event to our community.”
After premiering at the Tribeca Film Festival, *The Lord of All Future Space and Time* continues its festival run with this special Long Beach screening—offering local audiences a front-row seat to Buffer’s standout villainous turn in one of the year’s most inventive short films.