PETSCII Movie Magic is what happens when you hand a Commodore 64, a skilled coder, and a SID wizard the keys to the cinema. Released by Hokuto Force for the Plain PETSCII Graphics Competition 2025, At the Cinema is a clever nod to the big screen—rendered entirely in text-based graphics.
The focus of this one-file demo is PETSCII Movie Magic, and it absolutely delivers. Rebel 1, pulling double duty on code and graphics, crafts a striking theater scene using only PETSCII characters. The audience, the projector beam, the curtain—it’s all there, stitched together with the precision of someone who knows every hex value by heart.
And then there’s the music. Jammer, known for his SID wizardry, adds emotional punch with a track titled “424” (you can find it in the HVSC under /MUSICIANS/J/Jammer/424.sid). It’s moody, melodic, and feels like it belongs in an actual film score. The combo of Rebel 1’s graphics and Jammer’s SID tune makes this a standout in the compo lineup.
PETSCII Movie Magic isn’t flashy. It doesn’t need color sprites or scrolling raster tricks. It makes its point—quietly, cleverly, and with style. It’s the kind of thing that reminds you what makes the C64 special in the first place: limitations that fuel creativity rather than choke it.
If you’re browsing through the entries from the Plain PETSCII Graphics Competition 2025, this one’s worth a pause. Fire it up, dim the lights, and let your C64 take you At the Cinema.
You can catch all the entries at c64gfx.com:
Plain PETSCII Graphics Competition 2025
