In The Sci-Fi Short Film 'AIR,' An Engineer Chooses Her Own Destiny After The Remnants Of Humanity Are Forced To Survive In A Failing Underground Bunker

In the dystopian sci-fi short film AIR, catastrophic atmospheric changes have devastated the planet.

The remnants of humanity seek refuge in Securos, an underground complex its builders promise will be indefinitely sustainable.

Unfortunately, after 126 years, the populace of Securos find themselves dealing with a critical depletion of their oxygen supply. In a random "lottery," denizens of the bunker will be chosen to sacrifice themselves in order to reduce the population and slow the depletion of air.

An engineer named Alex (Antonia Thomas) decides to defy the lottery edict. The brave young woman uses her engineering aptitude to seek another solution to her society's dire situation.

Viewers are shown how life in the once plush Securos bunker has deteriorated after serving as humanity's underground ark for over a century.

Society now believes life above is only reserved for God and those deceased. The bunker is ruled by a religious zealot (David Schofield), whose fanaticism doesn't spare his own son, Nick (Tom Riley).

Nick's predicament is what catalyzes Alex into action.

Written by Philip James Booth and directed by Emma Maclennan, AIR is a striking sci-f short film that is at once meditative and precise in its thematic trajectory.

While the short film's main thesis advocates ecological conservancy and warns against the dangers of fundamentalism, it also weaves in a tender coming-of-age story.

AIR is a remarkable sci-fi short film with an unforgettable ending that is both haunting and wistfully, aching beautiful.

Watch the official trailer here…

AIR is available for streaming exclusively on Amazon Prime Video.

Make sure to listen to our EYE ON SCI-FI podcast episode #18 featuring AIR!

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Make sure to check out our podcast Eye On Sci-Fi. Join host and The 7th Matrix founder Rod T. Faulkner as he spotlights terrific indie SFF short films and web series.

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Some People & Secrets Are Better Left Alone In The Horror Short 'NEIGHBORS'

The horror short NEIGHBORS has a very innocuous beginning; in a posh condominium high-rise, young urbanite Brad (Steven Conroy) meets a mysterious new neighbor in the elevator.

Brad attempts to make friendly conversation, but it quickly becomes obvious his aloof neighbor, Carl (Pascal Yen-Pfister), is not interested.

Driven by curiosity, Brad and his girlfriend Melanie (Caitlin Johnston) soon become enmeshed in a mystery involving Carl which will teach them a costly lesson: some people - and secrets - are better left undisturbed.

Written and directed by Brandon Boudreaux, NEIGHBORS generates blood-chilling horror from the unsettling possibility that unspeakable evil may reside right next door to us.

Watch the unnerving NEIGHBORS here...

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Make sure to check out our podcast Eye On Sci-Fi. Join host and The 7th Matrix founder Rod T. Faulkner as he spotlights terrific indie SFF short films and web series.

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In The Short Film 'SWORD OF THE DEAD' A Ronin Does Battle With Zombies In Feudal Japan

 In the short film SWORD OF THE DEAD (SOTD), an exiled ronin ( Masami Kosaka) returns home to discover his birthplace overrun with zombies due to an evil curse.

This latest short by filmmaker Stephen Vitale - whose other short film HOSHINO is an outstanding Star Wars homage - takes worn-out zombie tropes and reinvigorates them by excising the living dead out of Western cultural accouterments and transplanting them into feudal Japan.

The result is a haunting, beautiful short film that is a homage to both the classic George A. Romero zombie film Night Of The Living Dead and the movies of renowned Japanese directors Masaki Kobayashi and Akira Kurosawa.

A tip of the hat to Vitale for including Japanese artisans on the SOTD production team. His directorial vision and their expertise merge together to replicate the look and feel of a film from Japan's cinematic golden age in the 1950s.

 Other inspired artistic choices include the decision to film SOTD in pristine black and white, as well as having all dialogue spoken in Japanese with English subtitles. 

I would be remiss if I didn't call out the riveting performances of  Masami Kosaka as the exiled ronin and Rome Kanda as the old man who warns our hero of the evil that has infested his home.

SOTD is gorgeous, atmospheric and mesmerizing; it is a zombie-action film unlike any you have ever seen.

But don't take my word for it, watch SWORD OF THE DEAD in its entirety here...

Also, check out this fascinating behind-the-scenes video of the making of SOTD...

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Make sure to check out our podcast Eye On Sci-Fi. Join host and The 7th Matrix founder Rod T. Faulkner as he spotlights terrific indie SFF short films and web series.

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Experience 'BIOPUNK' A Dystopian Sci-Fi Short Featuring Kristian Nairn From 'Game Of Thrones'

The year is 2054. The place is London transformed by a global viral plague into a shantytown where its denizens struggle to survive.

This is the setting of the dystopian short film BIOPUNK, conceived and directed by Liam Garvo based on the screenplay by Andrew Hamer.

The short film centers Resha (Katie Sheridan), a young woman on a quest to find her missing younger brother Kio (Benjamin Tuttlebee).

The short is actually a flashback as Resha recounts the fateful day her brother was abducted. It seems mysterious forces are abducting people in New London who are virus-free.

Who is responsible for Kio's kidnapping as well as the rash of abductions that have stricken "New London?"

Will Resha and Kio be reunited?  These pivotal questions are left unanswered by design.

The filmmakers produced BIOPUNK as proof-of-concept for a full-length film they intend to make which will explore the world and mysteries introduced in the short in greater depth.

My fingers are crossed for their success, because BIOPUNK is impressive.

The byzantine New London sets look as if they were built from the refuse and remains of a great city long fallen into ruin. 

The cinematography is also outstanding.

The kinetic camera angles with shots that follow the characters around corners, down claustrophobic, crowded passageways, and out into almost alien-looking exterior landscapes helps to lend verisimillitude to the world presented by the short.

Last but not least is the outstanding cast including Kristian Nairn (Hodor, Game Of Thrones) as Resha's compassionate employer Bob. The actors' nuanced and compelling performances succeed in selling this dystopian version of a future London forever mutated after emerging from a viral pandemic.

Watch BIOPUNK in its entirety here....

To learn more about the production of this superb sci-fi short, visit its official Facebook page.

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Make sure to check out our podcast Eye On Sci-Fi. Join host and The 7th Matrix founder Rod T. Faulkner as he spotlights terrific indie SFF short films and web series.

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'INSTANT' Is The Compelling New Sci-Fi Short Film By Roddenberry Entertainment

Moments that change our lives forever often arrive without preamble or warning.

In the compelling new sci-fi short film INSTANT by Roddenberry Entertainment, five strangers fellowshipping in a local bar suddenly find themselves taken as hostages at gunpoint by a desperate man.

However, one of the hostages possesses a startling secret that will forever alter the lives of everyone in the bar.

Written by Todd Beauchamp and directed by Alex Albrecht, the narrative of INSTANT is powered by its intimate setting, affecting script, and a remarkable cast comprised of Tyler Hilton, Manu Intiraymi, Emily Chang, Tony Janning, Tara Penny, and distinguished character/voice actor Phil Morris.

Executive produced by Rod Roddenberry, INSTANT shines because it places character relationships front and center in the story instead of garish CGI and overblown visual effects.

Through the characters' interactions, the short film comments on our current troubling times, while also championing faith in humanity's potential. It's a thematic philosophy Roddenberry shares with his late father, Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry.

Watch INSTANT in its entirety here...

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Make sure to check out our podcast Eye On Sci-Fi. Join host and The 7th Matrix founder Rod T. Faulkner as he spotlights terrific indie SFF short films and web series.

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In The Sci-Fi Short 'A Crimson Man,' A Young Boy & Battered Robot Must Learn To Trust Each Other To Escape Their War-Torn World

In the sci-fi short A Crimson Man,  a young runaway boy named Wei (Maddox Henry) is searching for his father in a land torn apart by a long-running war between humans and sentient robots called "Crimson Men."

While on his quest, Wei encounters a robot he dubs "Red."  Red (voiced by Daniel Clarkson) is scarred by years of battle and is fleeing from the war.

The young boy and hulking robot begrudgingly agree to join forces in order to escape their ravaged land. However, an encounter with the enemy sparks erratic behavior in Red, causing Wei to doubt if he can trust his mechanized companion.

Written and directed by filmmaker Mike Pappa, A Crimson Man is an impressive homage to classic sci-fi coming-of-age cinema which includes iconic films such as E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial, Flight Of The Navigator, and The Iron Giant.

Those films juxtapose the wonder-filled exuberance of youth against the fantastical to explore often very heavy themes including fear of abandonment and alienation.

In A Crimson Man, Pappa effectively uses his speculative narrative to probe the complex dynamics between parent and child, as well as the effects of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).

The short film successfully transports viewers into its intriguing world by use of its visually arresting aesthetic that is a handsome mix of lush pastoral combined with the retro-stylings of steampunk.

Experience A Crimson Man here...

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Make sure to check out our podcast Eye On Sci-Fi. Join host and The 7th Matrix founder Rod T. Faulkner as he spotlights terrific indie SFF short films and web series.

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Two British Agents Encounter A Powerful Paranormal Being In The Sci-Fi Short 'The Winter's Club'

The Winter's Club is a remarkable sci-fi short film by Chris Stone, an independent filmmaker whose work we have long admired here at The 7th Matrix.

The short begins within the crumbling bowls of an abandoned neo-gothic building. Two British agents, Shaw (Rachel Shenton) and Shepard (Richard Jack), have been tasked with tracking down Winter (Lewis Brindley) - a powerful member of a group of genetically engineered humans who possess paranormal abilities.

While Shaw believes these beings to be extremely dangerous, Shepard holds a far more compassionate view.

When the duo finally catch up to Winter, he isn't at all what they expect. Their encounter with him reveals life-altering secrets that shatters the agents' worldview.

Originally an entrant in the 2013 Sci-Fi London 48 Hour Film Challenge, The Winter's Club is a prime example of Chris Stone's ability to make low budget filmmaking look and feel truly cinematic.

At a run time of just over four and a half minutes, Stone manages to craft a complete, compelling sci-fi narrative inhabited by characters you quickly become invested in. Major credit must also be given to the superb performances turned in by the cast.

Watch The Winter's Club here...

The Winter's Club is further proof all that is needed to craft an excellent science fiction film is a solid script, capable actors, and a filmmaker with vision and passion.

Discover more of Chris Stone's work by visiting his official web site ChrisStoneShowReels.com.

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Make sure to check out our podcast Eye On Sci-Fi. Join host and The 7th Matrix founder Rod T. Faulkner as he spotlights terrific indie SFF short films and web series.

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Dread Engulfs A Young Mother In The Unnerving Horror Short 'BEHIND'

All of us have experienced it. The times we are certain we are alone, but then a nagging, unsettling feeling tells us we are being watched. 

The Spanish short film BEHIND, written and directed by Ángel Gómez Hernández, exploits that feeling to create a story of intense psychological horror.

The short opens during a children's birthday party. There we meet recently divorced young mother Arianne (Macarena Gómez).

While rambunctious children swarm around her, Arianne is having an altercation over the telephone with her ex-husband regarding custody of their infant daughter.

The tone and tenor of the conversation immediately reveal the custody battle is taking its toll on her.

As she prepares to leave the party with her daughter in tow, a mysterious stranger approaches and delivers a cryptic, blood-chilling warning: at home, a "man" has been standing behind  Arianne and watching her. This man will not leave her alone until he gets what he wants, and she will not be able to see him - until it is too late.

Understandably rattled, Arianne rushes home. 

At first, she dismisses the warning. But when strange phenomena begin to occur, Arianne realizes the warning may have terrifying merit.

From the tense opening moments of its 15-minute runtime to the final disturbing scene, BEHIND is a showcase of edge-of-your-seat, psychological horror.

Much credit for this must be given to the extraordinary performances of the actors, as well as the director's masterful exploitation of one of humanity's most visceral fears - being watched and hunted.

Experience the unnerving horror of BEHIND for yourself...

(Please note the film is in Spanish with English subtitles)

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A Body Jumping Covert Operative Faces A Crisis Of Identity In The Sci-Fi Short 'Let Them Die Like Lovers'

"This is NOT my body."

This foreboding declaration opens the alluring and exquisite sci-fi short film Let Them Die Like Lovers.

Deep within a secluded forest in a C.I.A. safe house, an experimental counter-terrorism operation is underway.

Covert agent Alexa (Angela Lewis, Snowfall) has been given the ability to "jump" into other bodies in order to carry out government-sanctioned assassinations. 

During one mission, she inhabits the father of a target. In another, she is the lover of the chosen mark.

Protecting Alexa's real body is her fellow agent, handler, and lover Marko (Mustafa Shakir, Luke Cage). Marko also serves as Alexa's emotional anchor as the stress of her constant body jumps  - as well as the questionable morality of her missions - begins to weigh heavily on her psyche.

Angela Lewis as Alexa. Mustafa Shakir as Marko. Photo property of Autonomika Industries

Alexa constantly recites to herself the mantra "This is not my body" in order to prevent losing herself during her traumatic body-jumping odysseys.

After one harrowing assassination, Alexa makes a heart-wrenching decision in a desperate attempt to preserve her own identity.

Written by Aaron Wolfe & Jesse Atlas (who also directed), Let Them Die Like Lovers is a  haunting rumination on the crucial roles love, morality, and identity play in human connection - masquerading as a gorgeous and absorbing sci-fi action thriller.

Watch Let Them Die Like Lovers here...

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An IT Professional Battles A Demonic Computer Virus In The Horror Short 'Eldritch Code'

Adapted by Swedish director Ivan Radovic from an original story written by Glen Cadigan, Eldritch Code is the official short film adaptation of the story "One Of Those Days," which appeared in the horror anthology Cthulu Tales #6 published by comic book publisher BOOM! Studios.

Inspired by H.P. Lovecraft, Eldritch Code is the story of Gus (Martin Hendrikse), an IT professional dealing with what he believes is a run-of-the-mill computer virus attempting to infect his company's servers.

However, Gus quickly realizes the virus he is fighting is unlike anything he has ever seen. The infected files actually contain a demonic presence that threatens far more than his company's computer network.

Soon Gus is pulled down into a hellish rabbit hole leading to a deranged world of cults and dark gods from beyond the stars.

Eldrich Code is a fascinating watch because it successfully marries the mundane horrors of 9 to 5 American corporate culture with the fevered and metaphysical horror author H. P. Lovecraft is responsible for popularizing.

Watch this very stylish and wonderfully bizarre horror short film here ...

To discover more about the making of Eldritch Code and the original story that inspired it, visit the short's official Facebook page.

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An Advanced Augmented Reality Game Eliminates The Divide Between Fantasy & Reality In The Sci-Fi Short 'Strange Beasts'

Augmented and virtual reality are paradigm-changing technologies  promising to make significant impacts on our daily lives.

Augmented reality (AR) is the technology used with laptops and mobile devices to insert virtual elements into real-world environments.

This interactivity has many possible applications, especially for the video and mobile gaming industry. A prime example of the potential of AR technology is the mobile game Pokémon Go! released in 2016.

Millions were obsessed with the mobile app that projected the popular fantasy creatures known as Pokémon into real-world environments. Players are given the ability to capture and train the virtual critters.

The game was a huge success and helped usher AR technology into the mainstream.

In the sci-fi short Strange Beasts written by Magali Barbé, a near future is presented where augmented reality has advanced to the next level.

The titular AR game allows players to design, create, modify, and bring to life their own virtual "pets." 

Using technology that beams virtual elements directly onto the corneas of the eyes, these pets are constant companions who play, get into mischief, and demand attention just as most physical pets do.

However, the short's narrative takes an unexpected turn by introducing a disturbing Black Mirror-like twist. It is a story beat which acts as a sober reminder of the dark side of modern technology.

Strange Beasts is a very attractive short film. Its plot unfolds by having the fictional game's creator Victor Weber (Timothy Renouf), a posh European game developer, describe the app in a faux promotional video that riffs off those iconic Apple ads narrated by   industrial designer Jony Ive.

Like the similarly themed sci-fi short Real Artists, watching Strange Beasts feels extremely prescient. It's like looking out a window and seeing life a few years into the future.

Watch Strange Beasts in its entirety...

Sending special thanks to our Twitter follower Timothy Duquesne for bringing this exceptional short film to our attention!

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The Hunt Is On For An Aquatic Creature That Can Grant Immortality In The Steampunk Fantasy Short 'The Ningyo'

What if legendary creatures from folklore such as the Loch Ness monster, bigfoot, the chupacabra, and the yeti actually existed?

In the steampunk fantasy The Ningyo: Episode One they do.

Created by Miguel Ortega and Tran Ma, the short is set in Los Angeles in the year 1911. The story centers on the exploits of Professor C. Marlowe (Rodrigo Lopresti), a paleontologist who believes in the existence of ningyo - mermaids from Japanese folklore believed to grant imomortality to any who catch them and eat their flesh.

Marlowe's obsession with the ningyo causes him to fall into disfavor with the scientific community.

Despite the disdain and ridicule from his peers, Professor Marlowe claims he possesses a map which will lead him to the location of the fabled ningyo.

However, his claims about the map come to the attention of mysterious parties who will stop at nothing to acquire it. Forces including a wealthy Japanese aristocrat portrayed by acclaimed actress Tamlyn Tomita (The Karate Kid, Real Artists).

The Ningyo is a lavish production whose steampunk aesthetic seems heavily influnced by authors such as Jules Verne.

Stunning set pieces include a rambling, gilded mansion containing an otherworldly menagerie of cryptid creatures, to an ocean submersible that could be the sister ship to the famed Nautilus from Verne's classic novel 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea.

The visual and creatue effects are jawdropping, and defy the popular misconception that independent genre films are inherently B-level and can not compete with bigger-budget mainstream fare.

But don't my word for it, watch this magnificent short here...

There are plans for the story of The Ningyo to be continued in future installments. To discover more about this extraordinary production, visit the short's official page on Facebook.

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