Presented by The National Film Board of Canada and Animiki See Digital Productions, Vistas- The Visit is a fine example of narratives dealing with the paranormal as told by marginalized voices.

Written and directed by Lisa Jackson, with narration by Barry and Kimowan Ahenakew, the short tells the true story of one Cree family's experience with the unexplained.

Late one starry night during the winter 0f 1996, one man returns to his home on the Ahtahkakoop Reservation in Saskatchewan, Canada.

With a sense of unease, the man retires for the evening only to soon be awakened by his wife and daughter.

Through her bedroom window, his daughter has discovered high in the late night sky a beautiful star that appears to be something else.

Watch Vistas - The Visit in its entirety below ...

Vistas - The Visit , , National Film Board of Canada

Despite its brief three minute runtime, this animated short manages to weave a very compelling narrative.

This is mainly achieved by the rustic animation by Jody Kramer, as well as the sonorous narration by the Ahenakews.

Vistas - The Visit is a fascinating account of one aboriginal family's close encounter with the unearthly.

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Created, produced by, and starring Andrew M. James, Boost: The Web Series is a sci-fi action-adventure story about an experimental drug that grants human beings extraordinary powers - but at a high cost.

This volatile drug, called "boost," was created by brilliant government scientist Victor Blaine (Shawn Byfield) for a rogue government agency only known as "Division."

During animal testing, Blaine discovers boost grants the subjects unusual abilities.

After injecting the first human subject - an ex-con named Elliot Fox (Umar Shameem) - with the drug, Blaine observes boost creates an immediate dependency.

Withdrawal from the drug causes rampant paranoia and violently aggressive behavior.

After realizing Division has nefarious plans for its use, and fearing for the safety of his family, Blaine entrusts his research files to his close associate, Adrian (Chris James). Then he flees with the drug and its stabilizing agent.

Suddenly Adrian and his younger brother Drew find themselves targeted by Fox, who has been recruited by Division to apprehend Blaine at any cost.

Check out the series teaser trailer here ...

Watching Boost reminded me of some of the best action films of the 80s and 90s.

Like those films, it has a straight-forward, though engaging, plot, charismatic leads, and solid overall production value.

However, what impresses me most about Boost is it tells an entertaining story set in a diverse world.

Let's face it, web series, like most other media, suffers from being overwhelmingly whitewashed.

While strides are being made to tell stories including more non-stereotypical representations of minorities that go beyond mere tokenism, there is still much progress to be made.

Boost is definitely an example of movement in the right direction.

Hit television shows such as Scandal, How To Get Away With Murder, and Sleepy Hollow have set a powerful precedent illustrating series starring Black actors - as well as having diverse casts - can draw huge audiences, because all people want to see complex depictions of themselves in well-told stories on screen.

In the web series medium, it's my immense pleasure to add projects like Osiris, and now Boost, to the list.

Hopefully, this category will become far more crowded soon.

The first season of Boost is comprised of six episodes, all available for viewing on its YouTube channel: Boost On YouTube

To learn more about the production, visit the official series web site Boost Web Site.

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Sci-Fi Short Film Spotlight: THE VISIT - Experience One Cree Family's Encounter With the Unexplained

In Boost The Web Series - An Experimental Drug Grants Its Users Superpowers