For his latest effort, "Destination: Outer Space," micro-budget filmmaker Christopher R. Mihm decided to go to his fans for financial help. He offered a $50 dollar "associate producer" package, which included five copies of the eventual DVD, a credit at the end of the film, a framed certificate and two tickets to the premiere.

"I expected maybe four or five people to take me up on it," Mihm says. "In the end, 50 people did."

Now, $2,500 isn't going to pay for massages for the leading lady's dog on your average Hollywood pic, but the cash allowed Mihm to finish his latest loving homage to 1950s B-grade science fiction on time ­ and even give him a larger budget for the finished product.

In a film torn from 1958's headlines, test pilot Mike Jackson is thrown halfway across the galaxy when testing the Earth's first faster-than-light rocket ship. From here, he must journey back across the galaxy to home, visiting odd alien planets, meeting exotic aliens and potential love interests. All in glorious black and white.

The premiere of "Destination: Outer Space" will be held at 7:30 p.m., May 25, at the Heights Theater, 3951 Central Avenue NE, Columbia Heights. Tickets are $5 at the door. Advance tickets are sold out. For information about the premiere and Mihm's other films, visit online.