Sci-Fi Short Film Spotlight: ARENE - An Action Thriller From Denmark

At just over four minutes in length, the Danish sci-fi short ARENE doesn't waste any time getting to the action.

Set in a apocalyptic future, the titular Arene (Katarina Strahinic) is a seemingly unassuming woman being held captive aboard a military transport aircraft.

However, her captors quickly realize there is much more to her than meets the eye.

Watch the complete short film here ...

Written and directed by Henrik B. Clausen, ARENE boasts dynamic fight scenes and action sequences, complemented by impressive visual effects for an independent film.

The film's biggest drawback is its very brief running time.  It feels like you are watching a single scene from a much longer movie.

You definitely are left wanting to know more about Arene, as well as the world she inhabits.

My hope is the filmmakers garner enough support to be able to revisit the world of ARENE either via a series or feature-length film.

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Enjoy over 30 hours of outstanding sci-fi, horror, and fantasy short films by downloading our ebook 200 Best Online Sci-Fi Short Films.

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Sci-Fi Short Film Spotlight: CONNECTED Starring Pamela Anderson As You've Never Seen Her Before!

Connected is the provocative science fiction short film by Luke Gilford, narrated by Jane Fonda, and starring Pamela Anderson in a role as you've never seen her before!

Anderson is completely devoid of glitz and glammed-out artifice in her poignant portrayal as Jackie; a health and wellness obsessed spin instructor desperately seeking fulfillment in her life.

When Jackie is invited by an acquaintance (Dree Hemingway) to visit a cutting-edge, New Age wellness center, she accepts hoping to find the human and spiritual connection she longs for in her high tech world.

Watch Connected On Youtube:

Connected is a brutally introspective slice-of-life science fiction story that critiques the promises of youth and fulfillment proffered by the fitness and self-help industries.

Promises that often leave many feeling inadequate and adrift.

I  highly recommend this affecting short film due to its social commentary, as well as the revelatory and brave performance by Anderson.

Warning: due to a scene of brief nudity, this film isn't appropriate for all ages, and is NSFW.

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Introducing 'Ren: The Girl With The Mark' - A Remarkable Woman-Led Fantasy

Ren: The Girl With The Mark is a first-rate fantasy web series created by producer-director Kate Madison, and actor-writer Christopher Dane.

The web series chronicles the adventures of the titular Ren (Sophie Skelton), a captivating young woman who lives in a fantasy world called Alathia.

While in the deep woods near her village, Ren has a fateful encounter that ends with her becoming possessed and marked by a powerful mystical spirit.

She soon finds herself ostracized by the people of her village due to their ignorance and fear of her mark.

Now known as a dreaded "Marked One," Ren is cast out of her home and placed on course to discover her destiny.

Watch the official series here ...

Ren is a welcome addition to a growing list of genre projects created by women, featuring young heroines who are intelligent, self-possessed, dauntless, compassionate, and who can kick ass when necessary!

Sophie Skelton is a revelation as the courageous Ren.

The success of the series rests on you caring about Ren and the world she inhabits. Skelton impressively meets the challenge quite ably.

Her performance is exemplary. She brings much charisma and spark to the role. Her appeal makes you instantly become invested in Ren and her plight.

As for the rest of the cast, each of the actors also turn in wonderful performances that are completely convincing.

Ren also boasts masterful production design, including: stunning location shots, beautiful sets, exquisite costumes, highly-detailed props, exciting fight sequences, and gorgeous cinematography.

I'm certain this outstanding fantasy web series is going to accumulate a mountain of accolades and awards.

Once you view it for yourself, I think you will agree.

To watch the entire five-episode first season, and to delve further into the rich world of Ren, visit its official web site Ren: The Girl With The Mark

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Sci-Fi Short Film Spotlight: The Adept - What Happens When The Line Between Science And Magic Blurs?

The Adept is an intriguing new sci-fi/fantasy short by filmmaker Adam Stern.

Ben (Adam Greydon Reid) and Maddy (Jennifer Spence) are a brilliant married scientist couple at home working on a problem with their research.

As Ben is theorizing a complex solution, he inadvertently gains control of a unknown force that grants him abilities that seem like... magic.

As he and Maddy process the tremendous implications of their discovery, they come to the attention of mysterious strangers.

What happens next will alter their world forever.

Watch The Adept in its entirety here ...

Also, listen to the gorgeous main theme, composed by Adam Stern ... 

[UPDATE: Check out The 7th Matrix interview with The Adept creator Adam Stern!]

The Adept raises fascinating questions about our perception of reality, and the relationship between science and magic.

Also, the film is very well acted and produced, with solid visual effects - as well as a cliffhanger ending that hints at more to come.

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The Record Keeper - A Steampunk Saga Of Good Versus Evil

The Record Keeper (TRK) is an exceptional steampunk web series about the cosmic war being waged by angels and demons over the fate of humanity.

Created by Jason Satterlund for his Big Puddle Films studio, TRK has a very unusual background.

Originally commissioned by the Seventh-Day Adventist Church in 2013, the series was disavowed by the church due to nebulous theological reasons after its completion a year later.

Still, TRK is exemplary purely as a work of speculative fiction. A perfect adjective to describe this 11-episode web series is captivating.

In the beginning of the show, we are introduced to three angelic protagonists -

• Raina (Lindsey Frame), the titular record keeper who has been tasked by "the administration" of the kingdom of light to record every major event of the war

• Larus (Dennis Hill), a prominent lieutenant in the fallen angel host

• Caden (Junesoo Ham), an archangel and a chief military strategist for the administration

Larus and Caden were close comrades before the civil war in heaven. Now on opposing sides, both angels struggle to maintain a friendship even while the conflict they are involved in continues to escalate.

As record keeper, Raina is unwavering in her commitment to solicit truthful accounts of the war from the perspectives of both Larus and Caden. 

However, she soon begins to agonize over the toll the conflict is taking on her angelic peers - and herself.

Raina, Larus and Caden each must confront betrayal, loss, self-doubt, and danger as the battle of the ages rages all around them.

Watch the official series teaser here ...

TRK's depiction of angels and demons as conflicted emotional beings is one of the most unique ever filmed.

Credit for this is due to the provocative script in conjunction with the nuanced performances of the fine (and very diverse!) cast.

Also, the steampunk aesthetic of the project is just plain GORGEOUS.

With its intricate clockwork props, richly textured costume designs, expansive sets, breathtaking location shots, and dazzling visual effects, TRK looks as if it belongs on cable or broadcast television.

Even more impressive, the series entertains sans any overt, heavy-handed sermonizing despite its mythology being deeply rooted in Judeo-Christian theology,

TRK is among one of the most compelling and beautiful web series we have seen. It's definitely a singular viewing experience not to be missed.

Watch all 11 episodes of the series while they are available on YouTube.

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Sci-Fi Short Film Spotlight: UFO Diary - During WWII, Women Military Officers Thwart An Alien Invasion

Just in time to celebrate Women's History Month, as well as the invaluable contributions made by women of the United States armed services during World War II,  the period sci-fi comedy short UFO Diary has been released.

The short is set three months after the devastating attack on Pearl Harbor. The United States has just entered World War II, and for the first time in history women are allowed to serve in the U.S. military in roles other than in nursing.

On February 24, 1942, Captain Diana Ravello (Govindini Murty) and Lieutenant Margie Petrova (Rachel Newell) have been tasked by the Women's Army Corps (WAC) to create a film documenting the daily life of women soldiers on the Fort MacArthur army base in San Pedro, California.

As the two women go about filming, they make an unbelievable discovery that leads to them being instrumental in thwarting an alien invasion of Los Angeles.

Watch UFO Diary in its entirety here ...

Creator and director Jason Apuzzo was inspired to make the film by an actual historical event that is also one of the most mysterious occurrences of the second world war, the Battle Of Los Angeles a.k.a. The Great Los Angeles Air Raid.

Apuzzo and his production team went to extraordinary lengths in recreating the look and feel of classic John Ford World War II films, while seamlessly integrating the latest in 3D and CGI visual effects.

The result is a marvelous conflation of real-world history with an audacious science fiction narrative.

However, UFO Diary's greatest achievement is its laudable tribute to the courageous women who served in the United States armed forces during the most pivotal military conflict in world history.

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Sci-Fi Short Film Spotlight: 'Lost' Stars Reunite In Provocative Short VISIBLE

The short film VISIBLE  has a very provocative and unique sci-fi premise - in 2016, all of humanity suddenly turns invisible.

Scientists attempt to explain with many theories, but ultimately no one uncovers what causes this global catastrophic event.

The world as we know it comes crashing down.

Decades later, society has been rebuilt with those surviving having adapted to the new status quo.

Then a second mysterious phenomenon occurs.  

A few individuals suddenly become visible again.

Evidently if someone expresses who they truly are - good or bad - and another person sees this expression - she becomes visible.

As VISIBLE opens we meet Henry Ian Cusick (Desmond, Lost), an unnamed painter who runs his own gallery.  

One fateful day,  a "visible" nameless woman portrayed by Sonya Walger (Penny, Lost) enters his gallery. 

Their encounter changes the painter's entire life.

Written by Andrea Snider, VISIBLE is an elegant, fascinating rumination on purpose, identity, and connection.

Watching Cusick and Walger onscreen together makes you remember why their star-crossed lovers Penny and Desmond became two breakout characters on Lost. 

Their onscreen chemistry remains undiminished.

Watch the entire short film here...

With a compellingly contemplative premise, exquisite direction, gorgeous cinematography, and two charismatic leads, VISIBLE is a singular viewing experience.

Discover more about this fascinating short film by visiting its official website:  VisibleMovie.com

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Sci-Fi Short Film Spotlight: SHADOWS - In London 2037, Big Brother Has Arrived

In 2015 after a series of devastating terrorist attacks on the city of London,  the government suffers a violent coup d'etat led by a nebulous organization known only as "Security Services."

After setting up a new interim government, Security Services enacts a drastic set of national security protocols designated as The Shadow Initiative.

Fast forward to 2037. Using next-generation surveillance technology,  common digital devices such as smartphones and televisions can be used by the state to spy on the citizenry.

Weaponized drones constantly patrol the streets of London. 

The British military brutally confront anyone deemed suspicious by the government, or identified as part of a growing underground resistance.

Civil liberties are a thing of the past.

This is the world of SHADOWS, an Orwellian nightmare inspired by recent global events.

Filmmakers Luke Armstrong and Johnny Sachon envision a near-future where the public has ceded all privacy and individual freedoms to the government out of fear and paranoia.

The film makes you ponder the very uncomfortable reality of how close we are to creating a similar world.

Filmed in London using striking visual effects, SHADOWS follows three young revolutionaries - Lee (Johnny Sachon), his girlfriend Jess (Holly Georgia), and his sister Scarlett (Katie Goldfinch) - as they concoct a strategy to impair the state's surveillance software.

However, their plans are discovered, and the trio must make a fateful stand against the totalitarian regime.

Watch SHADOWS in its entirety here ...

SHADOWS succeeds in being a window into a possible future disturbingly far too close to becoming a reality.

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Dagger Kiss - A Bold Lesbian Fantasy Web Series

Dagger Kiss is a new eight episode lesbian fantasy web series from filmmaker Tucky Williams about a otherworldly sorceress named Arden (Tucky Williams), who travels to earth to avenge the death of her lover Mia (Stoya).

When she arrives on earth, her life is saved by a mysterious woman named Katia (Amanda K. Morales).

Arden enlists Katia's aid in her quest to track down an evil wizard named Zareth (Thomas J. Phillips) who has also come to the earth.

Billed as "a girl Lord Of The Rings meets Highlander," Dagger Kiss is a feminist take on standard fantasy-adventure tales that overwhelmingly center on white, cisgender, heterosexual men.

Here at The 7th Matrix, we most definitely make an extra effort to promote science fiction and fantasy narratives told from the perspectives of marginalized groups.

We believe narratives by marginalized groups add much needed representation, variety, and richness to speculative fiction.

Dagger Kiss is certainly a welcome addition to an exploding collective of fresh, diverse voices in science fiction and fantasy.

Watch the official series trailer here ...

All episodes of Dagger Kiss are now available via streaming on Amazon Video.

Update 09/20/20: There is now a full-length feature film spinoff of the web series exclusively available for viewing via Amazon Prime Video! Watch Dagger Kiss Enchanted Forest On Prime Video.

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Sci-Fi Short Film Spotlight: MONSTERS - A Dystopian Fairy Tale

MONSTERS is a gripping sci-fi short that tells the story of Jenn, a bright, inquisitive 9-year old girl cloistered in an underground bunker with her parents and older brother.

Like a princess in an ivory tower from a Grimm Brothers fairy tale, Jenn (Caitlin Carmichael) has spent her entire life in her family's bunker, forbidden to venture outside due to the decimated world being ravaged by horrifying, mysterious monsters.

However, Jenn's curiosity gets the better of her. 

She defies her parents, and manages to escape.

What she discovers outside the bunker changes her life forever.

Written, produced, and directed by filmmaking team Steve Desmond and Michael Sherman, MONSTERS is dark, and deeply unsettling.

The most valuable player in this eerie, claustrophobic short  is young Caitlin Carmichael, who portrays Jenn with precocious charm. 

When you first meet her, you instantly become invested in  her well-being as she embarks on an odyssey to discover the truth about her world - and the monsters that inhabit it.

I will say the plot twist at the end of the film is completely unexpected, but it doesn't feel trite  or arbitrary.

In fact, the shocking reveal may leave you feeling more disturbed at the film's conclusion than you did at its beginning.

Watch MONSTERS in its entirety here...

For more information about the production of this small sci-fi gem, visit the official web site Monsters-ShortFilm.com.

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Sci-fi Short Film Spotlight: TRAVELER - Four Friends Build A Vehicle That Warps Them Into Adventure

Filmmaker Simon Brown's sci-fi short TRAVELER opens with four friends testing an experimental, jet-powered vehicle deep in the desert.

However, the vehicle  far exceeds their expectations when it proves it has the capability to traverse time and space.

Things get really interesting when mysterious beings follow their vehicle back to our dimension.

It's obvious this four-minute short is designed to be proof-of-concept for a film or series.

Hopefully, further development on this project will come to fruition, because the snippet of plot shown has much narrative potential.

Produced by The CGI Brothers, it bears the indie studio's trademark exceptional visual effects and cinematography.

It's definitely worth the small investment of time  to watch.

Enjoy TRAVELER in its entirety below ...

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Enjoy over 30 hours of outstanding sci-fi, horror, and fantasy short films by downloading our ebook 200 Best Online Sci-Fi Short Films.

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Nikola Tesla And The End Of The World - A Historical Science Fiction Adventure

What happens when one of the most brilliant scientific minds in history is transported from the past to save our present?

In the award-winning science fiction web series Nikola Tesla And The End Of The World, physicist Dr. Sophie Clarke (Gillian MacGregor) unwittingly builds a time machine from blueprints created by famed scientist Nikola Tesla (Paul O'Neill).

When Dr. Clarke activates the device during a test, the machine plucks Tesla from the 19th century and brings him to present day London.

Unbeknownst to Dr. Clarke and Tesla, the machine also transported another visitor to the present.

An entity with sinister plans for the modern world.

Paul O'Neill convincingly portrays the eccentric genius as an extremely formal misanthrope, who reacts to the 21st century with bewilderment, dismay, and ultimately, disappointment. 

Gillian MacGregor is terrific as physicist Sophie Clarke. She suffuses Dr. Clarke with earthy charm. Her wit, intellect, and pragmatism is a perfect counter-balance to Tesla's more myopic obsession with science and his conception of progress. 

Series creator/director Ian Strang bringing together one of the most famous inventors of all time and pairing him up with a unpretentious, no-nonsense 21st century woman (also a gifted scientist in her own right) was an inspired stroke!

The result is a well produced, well acted, and attractive web series that not only is zany fun, but also manages to slyly comment on some important contemporary social issues.

While watching, I got the same vibe from the light, airy tone of the series as I did from many of the best episodes of Doctor Who.

Watch the pilot episode of Nikola Tesla below ...

To view the complete series, visit its official YouTube channel: Tesla Series On YouTube.

Because of its inspired premise, whimsical tone, delightful performances, and the use of modern London as a supporting character, Nikola Tesla And The End Of The World gets my highest recommendation.

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