In the heart of North Carolina, the small city of Asheboro boasts a big heart with a lively and picturesque downtown. The kind of visuals one might see on a movie screen. Speaking of a movie screen, in that same downtown there lies the 97 year old Sunset Theatre, a Carolinian gem, where in August 2026, the third annual Mightier Than The Sword Awards at Sunset Film Festival will have a first ever double feature screening of Buddy Cooper’s ‘The Mutilator’ [1984] & ‘Mutilator 2’ [2023] and to top it all off Cooper and at least a half dozen cast/crew members will be in attendance to watch with the audience and engaging them in conversation and comradery.
Cooper says, “We expect to have six cast members and at least one producer present for autographs and selfies and also for the Q and A panel. We will have posters from ‘Fall Break’, ‘The Mutilator’ and ‘Mutilator 2’ available for purchase along with cast and crew t-shirts and caps and we’ll probably have some props or wardrobe available for sale…and maybe some body parts. This will be the first time these two movies have ever been shown as a double header. So far, this is the first and last time it’s happened. Maybe you’ll start a trend, that would be welcomed.”
What makes this even more of a special engagement is that Cooper is a North Carolina native, with the films being filmed in Atlantic Beach, NC. Festival director, Ty Brueilly states, “Having Buddy involved in this magnitude is fantastic. Of course I am a fan of his work, I rented the original VHS at Dual video many times in my youth and I know for sure there are lots more like me right here in North Carolina that feel the same way and this is an incredible opportunity for our city and state to come be a part of this magical experience.”
The “Deadly Double Feature” experience will begin at 6pm on August 8th, 2026 with a meet and greet with Cooper and cast/crew. At 7pm a special three short film screening will set the tone, with the Bill Moseley produced, Sean Haitz directed, ‘Kharver’ (12 mins) the Jesse Womack directed ‘Litterbug’ (9mins) and the Andrew Huggins directed ‘Buzzby’ (5mins). The ‘Mutilator’ films we begin at 7:30pm followed by a Q&A panel and open discussion.