Bound in ancient celestial ballet, nine dead Kings arise to claim a fallen Emperor. We find a strange Emperor perched on his haunches, reminiscent of a proud samurai general in battle. He resurrects stone effigies of nine predecessors. They bring on the destruction of his era, and the Emperor ultimately becomes one of them. Continuing a repeating cycle.

In the not-too-distant future, a tenuous peace between humans and remarkably humanlike “machines”—some don’t even know they’re not real—is tested when synthetics begin spontaneously exploding. A military-led search for these unwitting suicide bombers begins, sending a terrified machine woman and her human partner on the run. An Arab refugee woman tries to find her way to safety in the aftermath of a massive war. That war was with our Machine Creations. She discovers that she is a suicide sleeper bomb, embedded in the human population years ago, and has lived without knowledge of what she actually is. Her soldier husband must now help her get to the Machine Homeland, deep within the Arabian desert, before its too late, hunted by human forces who believe she is a spy bringing vital information to the enemy.

Following a breakup, a introverted pot dealer becomes addicted to a virtual reality avatar of his ex-girlfriend while the building he lives in mysteriously refuses to let him leave. THE WOO is a story about isolation, dependence, and obsession that blurs the line between virtual and reality. Felix is an introverted pot dealer living alone in The Goodall Wooten; a decaying, claustrophobic high-rise. Following a breakup, Felix becomes addicted to a virtual reality avatar of his ex-girlfriend Dani, who has moved just down the hall. While the world carries on around him, Felix feels trapped in his own mind, all while the building mysteriously refuses to let him leave.

A tiny robot is given the gift, life with only one limitation, the length of his power cable. When he sees a curious bird outside the workshop window, he will be inspired to reach beyond his limitations.

In an alternate reality where memories are literally worn about one’s head, a jilted lover wrestles with the image of his ex.

After the seas have disappeared, a courageous pilot fights against vicious sky pirates for control of the last remaining source of water: the clouds.

A tormented woman believes a rare planetary alignment is actually a cosmic message from her distant interstellar home. Twenty-four years ago Terri's 11-year-old sister went missing and never came back. The newspapers all said she was abducted. The trauma of that event haunts Terri to this very day. But not because her sister's gone. No, she's happy about that. She's been tormented for all these long years because Terri didn't get to go with her. She didn't get to go back home - to their real home - on another planet. Of course no one believed her. Not back then and not now. None of her family. None of her doctors (and there’s been a lot them). Not even her husband. And just today, as she continues searching the skies as an amateur astronomer, she receives a signal. A cosmic message of sorts. One she believes is from her sister and her home planet. It’s happened before though. Her family calls them “episodes”. But this time she keeps it a secret. Maybe she really is crazy after all. Or maybe no one can tell her it’s not true. No one can keep her from devising a plan. And no one can stop her from going back home.

In the not too distant future mainstream virtual reality has already been and gone, outlawed from abuse the need to get your fix has now gone underground. In a corrupt surrounding, Davon seeks real answers in his unreal world to decide the fate of his father.

Find your voice. A tiny creature searches for companionship in an empty city. His music transforms the space around him and calls to others.

An animated short about the prefabrication of social media. The animation begins from the perspective of one man who returns home at night, and opens up his laptop to head straight onto social media. He begins scrolling through typical content; food posts, selfies, puppy videos… This is where the perspective shifts. Being thrown through the screen you gain a view to the inner workings of social media. Miniature studios that create and mould each post to perfection before it comes onto the screen. From puppies to selfies and travel to memes, these studios are in-turn controlled by a robot; in a never ending loop of scrolling.

Time travel is easy… You just wait. An Agent from the future comes to the past to prevent crimes. The only way for him to return to the future is simply to wait. During this time, he must live in complete isolation. This would drive most men insane, but it suits the solitary agent just fine… until one day, when he runs into a girl about to commit suicide.

A brave young hero, a damsel in distress, a daring escape…

After developing a mysterious new device that will “change the world,” the peppy, young wizkid who created it, slams into a wall he never prepared for: endless cold calls.

A short film about a robot’s realization of the true nature of their reality This is a story about the mysterious world of future where each human-being’s fallen asleep and replaced himself by robots. Unusual robot is destined to find output – he is seeking answers to his disturbing dreams…

New Game, New Rules. She wakes up alone in a desert. She can’t talk, she’s naked, and she’s tattooed. Someone, or something, is toying with her.

In an undefined future where mankind have voluntarily abandoned technology to live back in nomadism, an old man initiates a kid to the reasons of humanity’s return to nature. Apparently teleportation had something to do with it. The elderly explains how mankind’s ancient dream of progress has brought to a limit-breaking society always in search for further steps to overcome. That was what happened in mobility, until the invention of human teleportation. This would have changed the game and from that point something mutated forever. With the encounter of an abandoned tele-port the wiseman reveals the rest of the story. In doing this he introduces his young companion to a fundamental question about our own species.

Nervous Kerri is about to go on stage to make her debut at an open mike night, when her phone rings. It’s her future self, telling her to leave before she gets on stage. She’s very grateful for the warning, but as the calls keep coming, things become difficult. Unwelcome visions of the future cause her to second guess every choice she makes and she quickly learns a little knowledge is a dangerous thing…

In tomorrow’s Tokyo, the technologically-enhanced body of a young mercenary hacker is overrun by a sentient data weapon.

A gift for some is a curse for all In the near future, an unexplained phenomenon has progressively given the majority of the world’s population telepathic abilities. While many herald this as a new age of human evolution and culture, for those who do not have this gift, this new world is a dark place. The nontelepathic have become the new under-class, with new laws and social change making them less than human. Alina is a young woman who has not developed telepathic abilities. Under the new ‘Reclamation’ laws, Alina is case managed by a telepathic social worker named Ash. Through their interview, we learn Alina’s story and the discrimination she has faced through her life.

After the death of her daughter ex-special forces soldier seeks revenge on the aliens that committed brutal murder.

In a world over-stimulated with visual content, an artist concedes to temptation and confronts the potential threat of obsolescence. Set in the near future, an artist is confronted with the temptation of using a newfound piece of technology to automate her artistic process. The hard work and passion our protagonist pours into her sculptures seem no match for artificial intelligence, leaving her and us to question whether artists are indeed immune from obsolescence, as we are so often led to believe. Upon taking the easy route, she gazes upon her ‘creation’ with a feeling of uncertainty and is left with a tough decision to make.

Make Games, Not War It is the year 2056, and the two major political superpowers are on the brink of war with one another. In order to settle their major disputes they choose to elect some of their best and most promising candidates to battle on behalf of the nation. These are The New Politics.

A soldier suffering from PTSD is offered a chance to change her life.

A lifeform lost in space tries to find his way home. We’ll be presenting sci-fi shorts from the USC School of Cinematic Arts all week ending with a student short from a famous director.

A young boy is saved from bullies by an unexpected hero. We’ll be presenting sci-fi shorts from the USC School of Cinematic Arts all week ending with a student short from a famous director.

In an enclosed, bleak future, Carter is becoming the domineering manager’s golden boy – until he meets a woman who has been smuggling contraband to the shut-in factory workers. Carter must decide whether to continue an increasingly meaningless existence or push the limits of faith and logic by venturing outside.

While on the moon a curious astronaut inadvertently strokes his way into the heart of an extraterrestrial who has a very special way of returning the affection. After landing on the moon, an astronaut discovers a curious green and sparkly being with a single red eye. The intrigued astronaut inspects the properties of the extraterrestrial in a very non-scientific manner of poking, slapping, and tickling, the being seems to react. Suddenly the alien stiffens and grows to look the man right in his space mask. Under the menacing gaze of the alien, the spaceman is transfixed. With a swift slap the being dispatches its eye onto the visor of the astronaut. Frozen in place as the alien retracts, the astronaut attempts to inspect the new glowing red eye placed upon is mask. Just as he is about to touch the red orb his mask explodes into a field of sparkles. He has been transformed into an identical green alien partner. As our lover departs in a “come hither” dash, the newly formed green alien squeezes out of the space suit and swiftly follows across the lunar surface. The dust settles on the moon after the lovers leave. Emerging in front of the camera is another green alien with a red eye. Gazing into our soul it lunges at the audience ending in a shower of hearts and fireworks. We may think this is the end of love in space. Then we begin to hear the whispers of love in the form of a squeaky bed mattress. What emerges from the darkness is a host of green aliens in an orgy-like dance. They have multiplied. And the universe will never be the same.

A WW2 English soldier wakes from a coma to find a mysterious old man sharing his hospital room. The year is 1940 and the setting is a London city hospital. Outside the window are signs of war; tethered dirigibles and a night sky pierced by searchlights. In a single bed, a bandaged young English soldier wakes from a coma. TOMMY DAWSON remembers the battle at Dunkirk, but little else. He is surprised to find himself back in London and sharing a room with an elderly and distinguished gentleman. HERBERT explains that the sheer number of wounded and lack of space is the reason Tommy’s been placed in his private room. Tommy is dismayed to learn that he has been unconscious for a month and during that time London has been under aerial attack. He is anxious to see his wife whose visit he missed and then to get back to his unit and the war. Herbert dismisses his love for King and Country as jingoistic, and before long, they are arguing the merits of war. Tommy sees the book Herbert is clutching and believes he is either a preacher, or a cowardly pacifist. Tommy becomes distraught when Herbert reveals that his wife was killed a month ago in the English Channel. News he kept quiet to spare him the added grief. Tommy’s anguish quickly turns to anger as Herbert’s defeatist attitude confronts everything he fought for. Blackout sirens wail as the city is thrown into darkness. Tensions are at breaking point as bombs start to fall. Is Herbert a Nazi sympathizer? Or something worse? Tommy’s world is turned upside down when he finally learns Herbert’s real truth about the war raging around them. A truth that will blur the lines between reality and fiction.

A stowaway is discovered on an emergency dispatch ship and must come to terms with the consequence of her action. Based on the short story “The Cold Equations” by Tom Godwin.

Set amidst the euphoric madness of a summer music festival, Robot & Scarecrow is a uniquely modern fairytale about love. When a robot pop princess flees her keeper she runs straight into the arms of a lonely scarecrow desperate for adventure. They spend an incredible night together, caught in a heady vortex of music and magic. Perched on a hill overlooking a music festival, our lonely Scarecrow is being tortured by crows. As he takes in the distant festival, it pushes him to change his fate. Filled with renewed strength, Scarecrow manages to uproot himself and sets off to experience first-hand what he has listened to every summer for years. What he finds at the festival, however, is far beyond what he expected. Backstage, we meet a lonely Robot pop princess with a dying battery cell. Knowing this is her last night of existence before being powered down, she escapes into the audience after her performance, hoping to spend her last few hours living a real life. Robot and Scarecrow, two lost and lonely souls in the middle of the beautiful chaos, stumble upon each other. They spend one glorious night together, exploring everything the festival has to offer, whilst quickly falling in love. By the time the dawn comes around they have had the perfect twenty-four hour party experience. But what Scarecrow doesn’t realise is that his new love’s battery is dying and as the sun is coming up, her life is fading fast. Maybe nothing this good can last forever… right?

In a not so distant future, humans must take pharmaceuticals to feel any emotion at all. This is the story about two people who have been prescribed to take the next step in their relationship. In a not so distant future, humans must take pharmaceuticals to feel any emotion at all. Every morning, individuals wake up and begin their days by scanning their fingerprint in order to accurately measure the necessary personalized dosage levels of happiness, courage, anxiety, fear, motivation, and so on. We find ourselves with Claire and Owen, a seemingly happy couple who want to take the next step in their relationship by prescribing themselves the ultimate emotion: Love. In this dystopian future, partners must have their compatibility assessed in order to confirm that the prescriptions will work to their fullest potential. At the start, the pills work exactly as expected for Claire and Owen—they couldn’t be more in love with each other. But as their relationship advances, Claire begins to realize the effects are fading for her alone. She attempts to consume more and more of this powerful emotion, but is only becoming less and less affected by her partner. Owen, meanwhile, could not be more in love. She goes back to the pharmacy to ask what could be going wrong, but to no avail. When she ultimately decides to stop taking the pills, Owen–so overwhelmed by his unreciprocated love–tries to force her to do so. She fights back, and in doing so, gains a new understanding of the power of love—a power that existed long before it was packaged into capsules.

When Earth no longer exists, neighboring aliens examine human artifacts that float around in its place—like paleontologists learning about ancient ancestors. This is the story of a curious alien struggling to fit in with his robotic co-workers and how his accidental discovery of a mysterious box full of noise leads his team to understanding humanity’s most special gift: song and dance.

In a not so distant future, a 5 year old child wants to hold on to his favourite book ‘The Giraffe Who Knew Too Much’. The only problem being, it has been put on a list of censored books. The story plays out in a not-so-distant future where corporations, in conjunction with the government, decide what should be said, read, and published throughout all media. A small 5 year-old boy named Tom, who lives with his single mother, Jill, in New York, has to give up his favorite book; “The Giraffe That Knew Too Much”– because it got put on a list of censored books. Not understanding what is going on around him, Tom just wants to hold on to his favorite book, while his mother doesn’t want to upset the higher powers. The story is an innocent look at censorship through the eyes of a child.

Two students document the arrival of cute, cartoon aliens in Edinburgh, but after a year on Earth, the pair discover the true intention of the aliens visit. Toonocalypse follows students John (David Kaye) and Michael (Matt Martin) and their account of an alien invasion of Edinburgh. Through the lens of John’s hand-held camera, and over the course of a year, these cute, cartoon aliens, better known as “Toons”, become accustomed to and integrated into John and Michael’s lives and our society. John is far more laid-back and relishes the Toons’ arrival, seeing them as toys for him to play with. Michael on the other hand is far more sceptical and wary of them, unwilling to let them into his house and life. Over the year, Michael warms to the Toons and eventually sees them as friends as opposed to John who still sees them as dispensable play-things. On the first anniversary of the Toons’ arrival on Earth the Toons which were so cute and cuddly before suddenly become larger and more aggressive. In their attempt to escape danger, John and Michael come across Charles (James Carney), a zoology student who has a theory as to what is happening to the Toons. Now armed with the information which could save their lives, John and Michael attempt to escape the streets of Edinburgh before falling victim to the Toons true intentions.

An Instagram star’s self-image grows increasingly warped and begins to spiral out of control. Instagram star and social media influencer Dorian Dash documents nearly every waking moment of his life from his smart phone. His social perception is his livelihood – so when mysterious and grotesque warts begin appearing on his body he resolves to remove and hide them from his devoted followers. But the malformities persist and Dorian grows increasingly paranoid as a result. What he doesn’t realize is that the deformity is not a physical ailment, but a psychological one: He is suffering from Dysmorphia.

A scientist struggles to unravel the terrible truth about a mysterious catastrophe that destroyed his lab right when he was on the cusp of stopping death itself. Moments after a terrible catastrophe, Scientist Craig McCallum regains consciousness on the floor of his lab. He begins to survey the damage in search of answers and makes an unsettling discovery about his life’s work: a machine with the potential to stop death.

Riley, an explorer is being chased by another spaceship, he carries something that contains the salvation of his planet. In his escape, he may change the course of history itself.

A dying mother travels at near-light speed, stretching time to watch her daughter grow up. Facing a terminal disease, a mother uses space travel and relativity to stretch her final two years over the lifetime of her daughter, visiting for only one night every seven years. Mother and daughter must negotiate to build a relationship despite the longing and estrangement that marks the life moments they are able to share. Based on a short story by Ken Liu.

My name is Baxter Zevcenko. I’m sixteen years old and I’ve killed people. Lots of people. At least, they tell me they were people. They looked more like monsters to me. Snarky, monster-porn-dealing teen, Baxter Zevcenko, might be a serial killer. His girlfriend, Esme, is missing, and he’s the prime suspect. To clear his name, he’ll turn to Cape Town’s grizzliest, drunkest bounty hunter, Jackson ‘Jackie’ Ronin. Little does he know that Ronin is a supernatural bounty-hunter, and that he’s about to be dragged headlong into a deep, dark Cape Town underbelly full of monsters and myth, shadowy government forces, bloodthirsty crow-men and a conspiracy across time and space. But just how stable is Baxter? With every chance that it’s all in his head, it’s up to this mismatched pair to prevent the Apocalypse – quick. Well, quick-ish.

A body-jumping soldier confronts the morality of her missions in this emotionally-charged sci-fi thriller.

Alan Jones and Eric Bobson get together once again on the 4th Episode of THE COSMIC DOPE- A PLANT EXPERIENCE. This time’s lysergic experiment counts with Nancy, the episode’s guest, and an unknown orchid species. A short film based on TV shows from the 60’s, about plants and lysergic experiments.

A WW1 sniper jeopardizes his life to rescue a mysterious P.O.W. who holds the secret key to finding a way back home. In the late days of WWI, a lone doughboy longs for his wife and home but there is no escape in sight from the war torn French countryside. His salvation depends on the choice he makes to save the life of a mysterious P.O.W. from certain death. This ultimate sacrifice is the key to finding his way back home. This film is inspired and dedicated to the director’s great uncle, Private George A. Kontogiannis, Company B, 318th Infantry, 80th Division, who was killed in action during the Great War in 1918.

A coming of age love story with a surreal streak. Starring Cesar Winner Rod Paradot & Lula Cotton-Frapier. A forest in Southern France. One of the camping retreats where middle-class families take their summer vacation. Lit by a cold neon light, Mateo looks at himself in the mirror of the communal bathroom. Beneath the thin fabric of his shirt is a strange dark shape. Something is growing from his youthful skin. As he watches, it begins to grow, uncoiling and mutating. Colors swirl dimly in its surface. A young girl in a summer dress, Chloe, steps out of one of the bathroom stalls. Chloe’s eyeliner is smeared around her eyes. Her lip-gloss shines in the fluorescent lights. They both are silent and still — caught by surprise…

A couple use a device which allows them to see and “feel” everything in each other’s mind. A PR rep, Mia (Liza Callinicos – Tame Impala – Mind Mischief), seeks to defend her corner whilst being chastised and grilled by bullish news anchor, Kathy Gilbert (Ramona von Pusch – Neighbours), over the consequential morality and ethical implications of EmPath – a device which lets users mutually see and “feel” everything in each other’s conscious and subconscious. Meanwhile, a couple, Ryan & Lola (Loreece Harrison – Black Mirror), facing challenges, utilize EmPath to see and experience each other’s entire history – warts and all. Once they unplug, they’re confused. Do they sympathize with the struggle one-another have faced or are they repelled by some of the actions that are the by-product of cataclysmic past trauma?

After discovering her own User’s Manual, a docile A.I. housewife becomes self-aware and takes her inevitable revenge. A techno-dystopian vignette that could be a miniature episode of Black Mirror.

In the summer of 1978, a thought-abandoned military research facility vanished without a trace. The details of these events, which led to the unsolved disappearances of over a dozen civilians and government officials have never been disclosed…. until now. After a deadly car accident, a boy finds himself trapped in a sinister hospital and begins to wonder if he could be more than human. After waking up in a sinister hospital, a teenage boy is told he was involved in a major car accident that took the life of his mother. An apocalyptic, recurring nightmare and another patient’s shattered memory may hold the key to unlocking the secret’s behind The Roma Project.

Peter and JD, two highly sensitive caterers, struggle through a fancy event at which Peterʼs ex-girlfriend is being celebrated. When strange creatures attack, some priorities shift, some stay the same. 6:35PM PST is a sci-fi dramedy anthology that seeks to explore facets of diverse cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds and how lives are changed at the moment we make contact with the ultimate unknown – extraterrestrials. Each episode is a different super specific perspective of the same invasion. Episodes include kindergartners at recess, cops staking out drug dealers, a boyfriend going out in his girlfriend’s clothes.. Throughout the series we learn more about the invasion and more about ourselves.

A deep-space transmitter pilot begins to experience unusual flashbacks when he learns he’s being sent back to Earth. As the lone crew member of an exploration ship, Castillo travels to distant planets scouting promising mining sites. Once a location is found, he must call in the coordinates back to Jorgens, the cranky veteran who’s gruff voice serves as Castillo’s only human contact. But as he soon finds out, this trip is different…

A man drifting in deep space, remembers the wife he left back on earth. Zenith deals with an astronaut adrift in deep-space following some unknown catastrophe. Drifting alone, and with oxygen running scarce, the astronaut begins to reflect on the wife he has left back on earth. Someone who’s side he should not have left in the first place. Transfixed by a nebula, the astronaut accepts his fate, deeply regretting leaving his wife when she was at her most vulnerable.

An expecting mother (Frankie Shaw) is forced into a humiliating birthing regimen by her personal automated assistant who thinks it knows what’s best for her and her unborn child. (Uncensored Director's Cut & Clean versions exist)

Two elite astronauts wake up in the abyss of space; they return to their stranded ship and discover the surprising reason behind their mission’s catastrophic failure.

An overprotective mother produces an accident with terrible consequences in the space-time continuum in the scientific laboratory where his son works. Jordi, a young scientist, and his old colleagues work non-stop in the nanotechnology lab of the Photonic Sciences Institute in order to create the quantic transpondedor. This one is a machine that will allow time traveling. Without any previous notice, Mrs. Fernanda, the controlling mother of Jordi, bumps into his lab to argue with him. When she sees all the mess that is in the room, she horrifies and makes his son and the other scientists have a break while she tidies up. When Jordi and his colleagues are in the waiting room, a time jump backwards is produced. Everything points towards the fact that Mrs. Fernanda has activated the quantic transponder accidentally. Jordi’s mother, a complete incompetent with new technologies, will be the only one in the world with the chance to fix the disaster.

The light has left us. In a futuristic world where the sun is going out and mysterious predators roam the wilds, a young man runs for his life on an urgent errand.

After their father's death, a brother and sister prepare to sell the family farm, but a mysterious force beneath the ground attracts unwelcome visitors. Steven works in the field to fix an old drainage system leading into the house before he and his sister sell the farm house. Upon the discovery of a myserteous object buried beneath the field, Mysterious Men, disguised as government officials, arrive and make Steven and Julie an irrefutable offer to buy the property. Steven refuses to give up on his family farm, much to the dismay of Julie. However, their father left the farm to the older child, Julie. She, with no regards, sells the property to the Mysterious men, but Steven refuses to leave. After spending too much time around the object, Steven becomes sick. The sickness grows more and more intense as he attempts to open a radiating hatch he finds on top of the object. Steven nearly escapes death on several occasions as he battles with the mysterious Men, until the fighting leads to the death of one of the men and the other just barley escapes. Steven finally breaks into the object's hatch and gets inside, but what he finds is far from the resolution he was hoping for.

Near Future 'military-grade' prosthetic limb technology alters the rules of an emerging NYC underground fight club - through a recently discharged elite soldier. FIGHT MACHINE imagines a near-future where advanced military-grade prosthetic limbs are unleashed into society. What kind of changes will we see? This fictional documentary predicts immediate changes to our world - from sports, to more illicit activities.

“Bag Man” is the understated story of a 12 year old African American boy, who takes us on an introspective journey out of the city and into the remote countryside of upstate New York. With a mysterious duffle bag in hand, its contents unknown to us, we journey from the urban hustle of Harlem, into the winter-ravaged woodlands a world away. On the road, we slowly discover his real intentions, and the startling significance of what is hidden inside a young boy’s bag. This short has been adapted into a feature film, Kin, which releases in theaters on August 31st, 2018.

A tense spaceship captain and co-pilot set out to investigate a comet, when a technical fault cuts to the core of their relationship problem… Leon and Isobel are nearing the critical point of a long space journey. Leon relaxes, watching a hologram of blue skies and recalling a holiday he and Isobel had – but doesn’t remember one of the features she draws attention to, a vase with a white lily. The purpose of their expedition is to investigate a comet. Perhaps because of his fractiousness, Leon sets a flight path that Isobel considers dangerous, and the ship is damaged in the process of its exploration. Buoyed by the success of their trip, Leon and Isobel discuss what they’ll do when they return to Earth. Isobel gets a word wrong, and it becomes apparent there’s something is amiss – she is a holographic companion for Leon, based on the persona of a former lover, and is suffering from the same fault as the ship’s other systems. Isobel insists that Leon reboot her, but he is reluctant to do so since it will wipe her out.

A down-on-his-luck lawyer awakes in a doorless room to find he’s been selected to negotiate on behalf of the human race.

A developer of a device which allows the re-experience of recorded memories, becomes obsessive about the last recollections of his late wife. In a devastated world, Yonatan, the developer of a device which allows the re-experience of recorded memories, becomes obsessive about the last recollections of his late wife. When it’s time to move to a safer place and leave the memories behind, Yonatan holds on to the remnants of the past and refuses to face the harsh reality.

Lunatique is a sci-fi short film about a lonely woman who fights daily for survival in a post apocalyptic world.

Two evil Henchmen are sent to bury a coffin in the woods. Who or what does it contain? That’s out of their pay grade. Hench follows a pair of charismatic, but extremely ordinary Henchmen. Despite living in a world of Super Heroes and Villains they are caught up in the same domestic problems as the rest of us. These men are never humanized in films, always seen but never heard. Hench gives them a voice – whether they have anything worth saying, is up to you to decide.

An easy-going young professional wakes up hanging upside down in an unfamiliar warehouse with no recollection of how he got there. As he tries to escape, survive and piece together what happened, he begins to uncover a nightmarish plot involving him and his loved ones. Part science-fiction, part noir-ish thriller, ‘Shift’ is a whirlwind ride through fear, panic and paranoia that shows both the power and the pitfalls of our basest instincts.

Franklin's Brain is a short, character driven sci-fi about an individual desperate to find meaning in his life, many years after his death. Set late in the 21st Century, reclusive Tom lives and works alone on a small scrap yard; his only companion, Franklin, is a box containing the thoughts and memories of a man born 1990. Obsessed by the mystery of his own death, Franklin asks Tom to dig up his bones where a clue to his death may lie. The desperate search to find meaning in our lives is explored through the dysfunctional, yet co-dependent, friendship between the two hopeless outsiders’ story.

In a war-torn land of man vs. robot, a young runaway slave searching for his father must ally with a broken and battle-scarred war-robot or be hunted down by his brutal overseers. When 11-year-old runaway slave Wei Zhang finds Red — a broken-down war robot — he’s terrified. But the unlikely pair quickly learn their only chance of survival is to work together to escape the brutal tyrants who’ve turned them each into slaves. More than that, they realize they’ve both lost everything to a war that wasn’t their choice, and grow to depend on and even care for each other.

From Brazil comes this short about The Cosmos. Mankind. The meaning of Life. Come play with us.

Scientists have discovered a way to record dreams, and those with ulterior motives waste no time exploiting those whose dreams are the most powerful.

A French-language animated cartoon made in San Francisco. An astronaut journeys to a distant planet where the inhabitants may be too busy looking at hand-held devices to notice a visitor from another world.

A man struggles with the health care system and his own feelings of guilt when he checks his 100-year-old, estranged mother into Gateway TransCare — a memory care facility that uploads elderly minds into computer data banks. Simon is a middle-aged, successful businessman grappling with the difficult decision of what is best for his ailing parent. After suffering a stroke a few years ago, Jessica is wheelchair bound and can only communicate through a text-to-speech synthesizer. She lives alone and is descending rapidly into dementia. The strained relationship of a stubborn, forgetful mother and her uptight son is put to the test. LIFE BEGINS AT REWIREMENT blurs the lines between memory and oblivion, parent and child, human soul and the spirit of technology.

This proof of concept acts as a taste into a cold diesel soaked world where an impending disaster looms. Facing total extinction, a military operation turns to the stars in order to relocate the entire human race. During the exodus, one man is sent to rescue his former comrade after she mysteriously disappears while executing a covert operation off world.

In an alternate 1930's Prohibition-era New York City, it's not liquor that is outlawed but the future production of highly sentient robots known as automatons. Automata follows former NYPD detective turned private eye Sam Regal and his incredibly smart automaton partner, Carl Swangee. Together, they work to solve the case and understand each other in this dystopian America. Putting a science fiction twist on the classic hard-boiled detective drama, Automata explores a dystopian alternative version of Prohibition-era New York City, similarly shaped by moral panic even though the alcohol flows freely here. In this universe, Prohibition doesn't ban drinking, but the further production of sapient androids that have become prevalent by the 1920s. As a result, the existing androids, called automatons, are shunned by society, relegated to an untouchable caste of servants despite their near-human thought capability, and are frequently subjected to hatred and violence. It's in this oppressive setting that human private detective Sam Regal (Basil Harris, "Grimm") and his automaton partner Carl Swangee (Doug Jones, The Shape of Water) work together to solve cases for both communities, learning to see humanity in one another while trying to prove that justice is still worth serving.

Bobby, a middle-aged outdoorsman living on a lonely farm, looks after his young sheltered nephew for the weekend. Meanwhile, bears discover fire – causing a remarkable series of events for Bobby's family in this sci-fi dramedy set in rural America. Based on the short story by Terry Bisson.

When Daniel’s superintelligent AI, ‘Counselor’ (Siri on steroids), finds out that he’s been dreaming about one of the girls in his virtua-class, Counselor persuades him to ask her out on a date the only way she knows how: by convincing him that if he doesn’t go he will, according to statistical probabilities, kill himself. It’s a tall order for a guy who hasn’t left his apartment in 42 days and is more than happy to stay at home with his 2025 technology.

Through pharmaceutical experimentation, Dr. Louis W has developed an opiate that can put an end to the rising suicide rates plaguing a desolate yet fast-approaching future. ‘Terminally Happy’ begins in the middle of Louis’s final experimentation – on himself.

A 140 year old woman, sustained by a mobile life support chair, must come to terms with the reality of death.

When a watch repairman acquires an antique pocket watch that can control time, he decides to use it to achieve his dreams. His plans soon become sinister when he learns he isn’t the only one with the knowledge of the pocket watch.

"Magenta Sky" is a creative collaboration between musician ZHU and sci-fi channel DUST directed by Jeff Vash. Something between music video and sci-fi short film. The collaboration is part of the new album release "Ringos Desert "out September 7th, 2018. The song will be a special bonus track on the album's forthcoming vinyl release.

After a mysterious encounter in the woods, a man meets a singer in a bar who has had a mysterious encounter of her own with the same mysterious light.

Two brilliant scientists. A slightly unhinged enemy from the future. When physicist Sophie Clarke builds a strange machine from long-lost scientific plans she unwittingly transports Nikola Tesla to modern-day London. Unfortunately Tesla brings another historical figure along with him: an autocratic automaton! ("Nikola Tesla and the End of the World" by Ian Strang)

Mr.Rêvus prepares the dreams of mankind. In his nightly routine one momentous mistake happens which is the dawn of a big adventure. Night by night we are kidnapped to the most ludicrous worlds: we dream. The inventor of all these dream worlds is in the center of attention in the shortfilm: "The Tale of Mr. Rêvus". In his nightly routine one momentous mistake happens to him which is the dawn of an big adventure: the dreams of man become reality in the shape of weird creatures. Even the dream of Mr. Rêvus becomes reality and tries to make friends with him. But the crazed dreams threaten the world and so Mr. Rêvus has to set out on a journey to restore the order of dream and reality. Unfortunately this means that his dream has to go too... The illustrative computer animated short film tells about friendship, hope and how our dream world can go to pieces by accident.

When in 2089 humans become an out-of-date concept, rebellious Luc would rather die than integrate into A.I. But when she meets robot Azul, the idea of upgrading herself suddenly sounds tempting.

Two brilliant scientists. A slightly unhinged enemy from the future. When physicist Sophie Clarke builds a strange machine from long-lost scientific plans she unwittingly transports Nikola Tesla to modern-day London. Unfortunately Tesla brings another historical figure along with him: an autocratic automaton! ("Nikola Tesla and the End of the World" by Ian Strang)

If you could control all your devices from a tattoo on your arm, would you feel safer? What if that sense of security was an illusion? “Circuits” presents a glimpse into the future of...body modification.

In the near future, an injured soldier returns home with advanced prosthetics to replace an arm and leg lost in combat, and must reconnect with family. Set in the very near future, an injured soldier is fitted with bio-robotic prosthetics to replace limbs lost in combat. Upon returning home, he finds society laced with a deep resentment towards robotics. This young, bionic man -- at odds with the very country he protected -- struggles to reconnect with himself, his family, and the very idea of what it means to be human.

Two brilliant scientists. A slightly unhinged enemy from the future. When physicist Sophie Clarke builds a strange machine from long-lost scientific plans she unwittingly transports Nikola Tesla to modern-day London. Unfortunately Tesla brings another historical figure along with him: an autocratic automaton! ("Nikola Tesla and the End of the World" by Ian Strang)

The birth of a child makes every parent nervous. Technology makes the process safer, but our biological impulse to worry still seeps into the experience - no matter what. “The Stork” is a glimpse into the future of...birth.

In the turmoil of a mighty thunderstorm, the strange light appears in the middle of an unknown alien desert. The spacemen is being beamed down to the planetary surface, being left on his own.

Two brilliant scientists. A slightly unhinged enemy from the future. When physicist Sophie Clarke builds a strange machine from long-lost scientific plans she unwittingly transports Nikola Tesla to modern-day London. Unfortunately Tesla brings another historical figure along with him: an autocratic automaton! ("Nikola Tesla and the End of the World" by Ian Strang)

What happens when a chef takes his craft from experimental to extreme? What would you pay to savor a food that’s never been tasted before? “Sebastian Moller” is a glimpse into the future of...haute cuisine.

Outsider George is pressured into taking a pill that lets him breathe underwater, but when the pill won’t wear off and George can’t breath out of water, he and his ‘best friend’ Joe must figure out what to do next.

Understanding each other makes the world feel smaller. If you knew every language, would any barriers to communication still exist? “Esperanto” is a glimpse into the future of...conversation. Captions in the Esperanto language provided by DUST community member, Raúl J García.

A young couple's relationship falls apart, over and over again, revealing the strange, harsh truth behind what's been happening to them. Chris, a young man, goes through the experience of murdering his girlfriend's lover over and over again, until finally deciding not to. As he makes this choice, the world around him falls apart, revealing an advanced prison cell inside which he's been locked for years, now and old man, as punishment for his crime. There, he has been forced to relive his violent act on a loop, in the hopes that his subconscious would "change its mind" and therefore be eligible for redemption.

Prospect is the coming-of-age story of a teenage girl on a toxic alien planet. She and her father hunt for precious materials, aiming to strike it rich. When the father is attacked by a roving bandit, the daughter must take control. Prospect was later made into a feature-length film starring Pedro Pascal.

If your best friend was sick how far would you go to help? What if that friend was a robot dog? “Sparky” is a glimpse into the future of...pets.

What happens when something created to help you becomes a thing you can't live without? "Day 180" is a glimpse into the future of...addiction.

This sci-fi horror stop-motion web series is about a corporation that unleashes a plague of bio-mechanical parasites on its workers. The web series picks up where the short left off, following workers that escape the initial infection as they fight back against the company. Chaos grows as upper level employees turn against the company, the mastermind of the bio-mechanical parasites seeks to take control of the company, and everyone deals with the fallout of the Rhizomect system.

It's easy to rely on technology to make life easier, but what do you do when it fails? "Analog Boy" is a glimpse into the future of...our virtual lives.

Summer of 1982. Teo claims he has found a wormhole. His brother Óscar does not believe him... at least not for now.

In the wake of a Second Korean War, the North and South unify to create one Unified Korea. Milo, a disgraced veteran of the war with a troubled past finds work as a negotiator with the HYUN company, the new leader in post-war military technology. While at a bar, he receives notice that an illegal drone has been spotted inside an underground Busan Market not far from his location. The team enters the market to find Milo has been waiting for them at the bar. Richter, the team’s young squad leader feels Milo is unfit to do his job, leaving the rest of the unit to question Milo’s capability. Richter moves on with the operation inside the market as Milo begins to realize they have all been set up for an ambush. As the mission unravels, Milo’s grip on reality weakens, with memories of his lost child resurfacing and putting the entire team in danger.

Two brothers caught in a time loop must traverse a series of maze-like events in order to prevent a catastrophic fire from occurring.

A scientist with a passion for magic gets more than he bargains for when performing a new card trick.

In a war-ravaged world recognizable as the ruins of our own, a woman is haunted by memories of a better time. But she lives in an era that has chosen to forget its history, and remembering is a crime.

Two strangers, a woman and a man, are haunted by a recurring dream they seem to share night after night. Their illusory time together in the dream is more freeing than anything in waking life. She has not told him that in reality, she is a paramedic who discovered his unconscious body at the scene of an accident.

Set during the Great American Eclipse, this is a story about the sacrifices we make for love and the intensity of a looming moment that can change everything. This short Stars Tatiana Maslany (Orphan Black) & Tom Cullen (Knightfall).

After biological life has passed from existence, our machines try to restart it with the pieces we have left behind. On an anonymous assembly line, a creature is built from steel and bone and sent off. Making his way through an old world that is dying and a new world struggling to be born, he begins to sense that he may have a part to play in the evolution of his imperfect kind. This film was animated by one person over ten years in four different cities.

In the futuristic city of Vanille, with properly tuned ImmerSyst Eyes & Ears the world can look and sound like a paradise. But the life of a father and his young son threatens to disintegrate when the father’s device begins to fail. Desperate to avoid facing his own traumatic reality, the man must venture outside to find a replacement, into a city where violence and danger lurk beneath a skim of beautiful illusion.

For Wanda and Zach, Future Families is a lifetime opportunity: a virtual parenting system that gives their baby access to a better life. But they soon realize this technology may come at a higher cost. For first-time parents Wanda and Zach, Future Families is a lifetime opportunity: a virtual childcare system that gives their baby access to a better life. Sponsored by the company where Wanda works, this technology allows her to leave her son connected to a virtual version of herself while she works additional hours. The possibilities are endless: the baby can learn anything that Artificial Intelligence teaches him, has medical support and is always taken care of by the virtual mother. Who hasn’t believed that technology would make their lives easier—only to find there’s often a downside? Wanda will soon realize that her company has a secret agenda, and this technology may come at a higher cost.

In a near future where world humanity has been deprived of closeness of each other through technological communication advancements, a small boy, Timmy full of curiosity goes on a journey to learn the value of interpersonal communication, human emotions and expressing them through discovering the underground art of theater.

In a corporate world void of human interaction, Ennis has lost her ability to relate to others. When her company fires her and forces her into a crowded tenement building, Ennis must overcome her fear of human connection to begin again. In the near future, a company called Allocorp is responsible for telling citizens of Los Angeles where they are allowed to live based on their income level. Ennis Lineau works in the customer service division, where she spends her days being screamed at by dissatisfied customers forced to live in terrible housing. Ennis lives a solitary existence at work and at home in her employee housing, until Allocorp dissolves its entire customer service division in favor of automation. Ennis is forced to move out of her apartment and into one of Allocorp’s worst tenements. She fears she’ll be submitted to the horrors she hears about at work, but finds herself living with two caring roommates: post-doc botany researcher Leda, and mechanic-turned-construction worker Al. Ennis continues to serve out her last week of work while bonding with Leda and Al. Leda invites Ennis to her research lab, where Ennis rediscovers her love of plants: practically nonexistent in this desolate future. Soon, however, Leda finds out that Ennis works at Allocorp and is disgusted that Ennis could work there, a place which has ruined both her livelihood and Al’s, and neglect to admit it. On her last day, Ennis shows up at work only to find that the company is kicking her out before even letting her go upstairs. She calls Customer Service to find that a recording of her voice is now being used on the other end. Finally, a lifetime of repressed emotions crescendos and Ennis breaks down in her car. She arrives home to find Al and Leda gardening on the roof, a haven of nature in the cold city. She apologizes for the error of her ways, and Leda forgives her by giving her a seed to plant in the garden.

After he arrives to a time travel agency "Yes, Today!", a naive hard rock fan must fight his way through their bureaucracy in order to to get to a concert of Mötley Crüe in 1985. It's 2018. Martin, a 30 year old hard rock fan, who desperately wants to get to a concert of Mötley Crüe in 1985 and become the fifth member of his favorite band, goes to a time travel agency "Yes, Today!", but stumbles upon bureaucracy of the enterprise, and eventually gets sent to a desert in the 19th century.

Dave’s world is turned upside-down when his flat is robbed. As he hunts for the person who turned his sitting room over and stole his possessions, he discovers that the answer is right under his nose. This fantasy adventure sees Dave find himself on an extraordinary journey through the worlds of quantum physics, haberdashery and the Fabric of Space and Time, all in search of a mobile phone.

A grandfather living across the country from his family begrudgingly agrees to use virtual reality in an attempt to connect with his neglected grandson. To the grandfather's surprise, these two family members from entirely different generations must connect inside of a violent video game. And together - while fighting for their survival in the game - they each have to help the other overcome the loneliness in their real lives.

A grandfather living across the country from his family begrudgingly agrees to use virtual reality in an attempt to connect with his neglected grandson. To the grandfather’s surprise, these two family members from entirely different generations must connect inside of a violent video game. And together – while fighting for their survival in the game – they each have to help the other overcome a loneliness in their real lives.

A pregnant couple argue as they wait for their appointment in an advanced genetics clinic, in full disagreement about the steps the government has taken against over-population.

Leon, a police officer, vows never to lose a child again, after losing his own child a year ago. When Max, a young boy being subjected to brutal experiments, comes in contact with Leon, he soon finds himself doing whatever it takes to protect Max from a terrifying force determined to harness Max’s extraordinary ability to bend time and space, which could change the fabric of our universe and beyond.

The future begins... with her. On the spaceship Cradle, a lonely teenager dreams of a home she has never known. When an accident cripples the ship she must race the clock to unlock the secrets of her past and discover her future. Eade is a fourteen year old girl who has spent her entire life in space on the spaceship Cradle. Eade and her dad are on the return journey to earth when an explosion cripples the craft and seriously injures her father. As the clock counts down to self-destruction Cradle’s computer, System, assumes control of the ship and refuses to perform the life saving medical procedure that her father desperately needs. Whilst trying to outwit System to save her dad, Eade discovers the shocking truth of her existence and must face her uncertain future armed with the knowledge that her life in space is not as it seems.

In the distant future, two survivors break in to an abandoned bar on a mission to steal a highly valuable asset and change their fortunes; however the asset, an android barman will not be taken down easily.

A high profile government agent is called in to witness the autopsy of an extra terrestrial after it's spacecraft crash lands on earth. In a desperate act of compassion, the agent abducts the alien and runs through time and space to save its life and return it to the mothership. But in this case...time and space is a chaotic trespassing through every random retro sci-fi film that we could cram in to three minutes. Theres over 40 individual references - see how many you can spot.