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FINAL SELECTIONS FOR OTHER WORLDS 2021!!
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Other Worlds Film Festival is thrilled to announce its final lineup of features and shorts for the festival's 8th edition (December 2-5, 2021, in-person at Galaxy Highland Theatre).
In addition to our in-person festival, we're hosting a virtual extension of the festival called the Cyber Extension Multipass through Eventive. Running December 6-12, the "Voyage to Other Worlds" won’t have to end on a late Sunday night before having to head back to work - it will continue for another seven days! That’s another whole week to catch up on features and shorts, as well as exclusive content only available online. A majority of the films playing Other Worlds will reprise in the the cyber extension so you won’t have to miss a single film.
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2021 DEADLINES & DETAILS
EVENT DATES
Dec 2-5: Other Worlds 2021
(in-person)
Dec 6-12: Other Worlds 2021
(virtual add-on)
BADGES
On sale now!
Buy HERE
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Other Worlds' 2021 Defender of the Universe Screening is FLIGHT OF THE NAVIGATOR (1986), with director Randal Kleiser appearing in-person at the fest to accept this year's Defender award!
"I have such a clear memory of being at some sports/outdoors summer camp that my parents had forced me to go to and being saved by an onslaught of rain and taken by bus to FLIGHT OF THE NAVIGATOR on the day it came out." says Bears Rebecca Fonté, Other Worlds Founder and Artistic Director. "Few films capture the joy and wonder of SciFi from a child's perspective as well as this Disney gem that is long overdue for a reboot. I'm so excited to have Randal Kleiser at the festival this year as our Defender of the Universe. I know for most of America he will always be the director of Grease. when I was a kid you were either somebody who liked Grease or somebody who liked Star Wars, somehow Randal captured the imagination of all of us."
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| Our two Centerpiece Films for 2021: SIGHT EXTENDED (Writer/Director: Daniel Lazo, Eran May-Raz) and DARK CLOUD (Director: Jay Ness, Writer: J.J. Kaiser). |
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"This year our two centerpiece films capture the quite common theme at Other Worlds: technology with unexpected consequences. The most frightening thing about both of them is that the technology almost completely exists, whether it's augmented reality vision connected to the Internet of Things and body monitoring, or smart homes with artificial intelligence and body monitoring." says Bears Rebecca Fonté, Other Worlds Founder and Artistic Director. "SIGHT EXTENDED, the Other Worlds Centerpiece, is the kind of film where you realize you are on board with the characters decisions until it's far too late. DARK CLOUD, the Under Worlds Centerpiece, is so on point that it is hard to imagine it not happening sometime in the future."
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Our Closing Night Film is RESIDENTS OF ARCADIA (Writer/Director: Dom Cutrupi).
"Residents of Arcadia uses Science Fiction to depict the ongoing struggle Immigrants face when coming to North America." says Dan Repp, Senior Programmer and Event Director. "This film gave me a perspective that I haven’t thought about and it has kept me thinking long after the viewing. It’s a perfect way to close our festival."
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"A couple of other films I'm really excited about, NOVA and OW alumni Zachary Endres’ first feature HOMEBODY: THE HAUNT OF GUY WITHERS both show that science fiction filmmaking does not have to be limited by budget and instead allows us to push the boundaries of creativity." says Bears Rebecca Fonté, Other Worlds Founder and Artistic Director. "MINOR PREMISE we got to play last year virtually but when we found out that the film makers had still not seen the film theatrically on the big screen, we had to welcome them back. MINOR PREMISE was one of the most discussed films in our program last year and it's the kind of film that warrants repeat watching. And yes we actually have two films in the program called HOMEBODY, the other one I think I pretty much stole from myself over at aGLIFF. As someone transgender, the idea of being able to use neuroscientific meditation to jump into a body that maybe suits you better is rather appealing. In this case, it offers the opportunity for what may be one of the funniest and heartwarming films we've ever had at Other Worlds."
The other amazing feature films in our Other Worlds 2021 second wave that we're happy to announce are THE ALTERNATE, BOY #5, ESLUNA: THE CROWN OF BABYLON, KEEPING COMPANY, RED SNOW, TUNE INTO THE FUTURE, TURN OF THE SCREW, and ULTRASOUND.
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Other Worlds 2021 - Final Wave Feature Film Details
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Flight of the Navigator (Defender of the Universe Screening)
Director: Randal Kleiser Writers: Mark H. Baker, Michael Burton, Phil Joanou
Knocked out in the forest near his home, twelve-year-old David awakens to find his family has moved and eight years have passed. Perplexed that he hasn’t aged, David’s family brings him for testing, only to catch the attention of NASA, who have their own seemingly unrelated mystery to deal with, a floating driverless space pod.
Sight Extended (Other Worlds Centerpiece Film)
Directors/Writers: Daniel Lazo, Eran May-Raz
US | World Premiere
In a future dominated by augmented-reality eyepieces, an agoraphobic young man experiences an unlikely transformation when he comes across a mysterious app that gamifies every facet of his life.
Dark Cloud (Under Worlds Centerpiece Film)
Director: Jay Ness Writer: J.J. Kaiser
US | North American Premiere
In the aftermath of a horrific accident, Chloe volunteers to try a new rehabilitation process, using artificial intelligence. The smart-house-system, known as AIDA, will do anything to keep Chloe safe. After all, this is her new home…
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Residents of Arcadia (Closing Night Film)
Director/Writer: Dom Cutrupi
Canada | US Premiere
Two social media influencers and entrepreneurs have their perfect lives disrupted when a man breaks into their backyard. As a mysterious countdown appears on screens and mirrors throughout their home, the ideal couple struggles to maintain their ideal life.
The Alternate
Director/Writer: Alrik Bursell
US | Texas Premiere
Struggling fimmaker Jake investigates a glitch in his footage, only to find a portal to a parrallel dimension, one in which he has the fame, fortune and family he has always wanted.
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Boy #5
Director/Writer: Eric Steele
UK | North American Premiere
A social worker whose last charge committed suicide takes a withdrawn homeless boy into her care, not suspecting that he is a vampire.
Esluna: The Crown of Babylon
Director/Writer: Denver Jackson
Canada | Texas Premiere
After her mentor is abducted by a renegade monk, a relic hunter and her crew must find the Crown of Babylon, an ancient artifact rumoured to have the power to bring back the dead.
Homebody
Director/Writer: Joseph Sackett
US | Texas Premiere
Obsessed with their babysitter, nine-year-old, gender-queer Johnny uses neuroscientific meditation to send their spirit right into her body! When Mom comes home early, Johnny escapes into the outside world as an adult woman, navigating all the particulars (clothes, make-up, horny would-be boyfriends) with all the success you might expect from any nine-year-old.
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Homebody: The Haunt of Guy Withers
Director/Writer: Zachary Endres
US | World Premiere
When Guy retreats into the apartment he runs as a shared short-term rental, he finds himself at the mercy of a world that doesn't even notice he is gone, and haunted by the prospect of what lies past his door.
Keeping Company
Director: Josh Wallace
Writers: Josh Wallace, Devin Das
US | Texas Premiere
A fateful chain of events begins to unravel after two brash insurance salesmen go knocking on the wrong door, only to find themselves selling to a serial killer.
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Minor Premise
Director/Writer: Eric Schultz
2020 REPRISE – First Time Filmmakers have been at a Screening IN PERSON | US
Attempting to surpass his father's legacy, a reclusive neuroscientist runs a risky experiment on himself. Only able to remember a fraction of each hour, Ethan locks himself in his home with his ex-girlfriend asking her to dive headfirst into the uncharted equations of his brain.
Nova
Director/Writer: Dana Cowden
US | World Premiere
On a mission to establish an outpost on Mars, Android Officer Nova finds herself caught between her human crew-mates and her own kind in the wake of erupting onboard android mutiny.
Red Snow
Director/Writer: Sean Nichols Lynch
US | Texas Premiere
A struggling romance novelist who has read the Twilight series a few too many times discovers a vampire hiding in her Lake Tahoe garage. As he heals, he agrees to help her with her own vamp-lit novel, at least until his vampire friends show up and ruin their meet-cute.
Tune into the Future
Director/Writer: Eric Schockmel
Luxembourg | Texas Premiere
One hundred years before the internet, a self-declared tech guru preached the future to a flock of outsiders, predicting Skype, jetpacks, space mining and drones. Despite his 80 patents and friendship with Edison and Tesla, Hugo Gernsback is barely even remembered for his most important invention, Science Fiction.
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Turn of the Screw
Director/Writer: Alex Galvin
New Zealand | Texas Premiere
Julia -- a last minute replacement for another actress -- arrives the night before open and is thrust immediately onstage to act the lead role in an evening of terror. Cast as the governess in a stage adaptation of Henry James’ Turn of the Screw, Julia, just like her character, begins to suspect that not just the fictitious house is haunted, but also the stage where she stands.
Ultrasound
Director: Rob Schroeder
Writer: Conor Stechschulte
US | Texas Premiere
After a strange sexual encounter, Glen and Cyndi become unwitting test subjects in a mind control experiment. They search for answers as their own memories become tools for manipulation. Based on the graphic novel 'Generous Bosom' by Conor Stechschulte.
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Other Worlds 2021 - Short Film Details
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Academy
Ian Salazar
Before gaining entry to a utopian colony, six students must first face a nightmarish morality test.
Anomaly
Michael Jeanpert
Adam is deeply in love and will do anything for Liv, even as he discovers how one-sided their relationship may truly be.
Between The Trees
Kelli Horan
All Darcy wants to do is honor her dad’s memory, but on a solo camping trip she finds her hands full with both a serial killer and a vengeful supernatural entity.
Blue Fire
Nick Ronan
A mysterious alien entity reunites two ex-lovers and offers a new path forward, should they choose to take it.
Cutter
Dan Repp, Lindsay Young
A teenage cutter in recovery and her overbearing mother are haunted by a ghost who seeks to keep them at odds.
Echo Pines
Stephanie Begg
Newly-minted Detective Barnes takes the lead on a missing child case, only to encounter a one-two punch of unexplainable phenomena in a nearby forest and no support from her fellow officers.
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Evie
Alex von Hofmann
Teen Evie lives in a post-apocalyptic frontier rife with human scavengers and genetically modified dinosaurs. When her father is injured she must venture out alone to get the supplies to save him.
Faces
Iván Sáinz-Pardo
Hugo and Lua really like each other. But they’re about to be saddled with an unforgettable lesson on intimacy, trust, and the true value of physical beauty.
Florence
Florian Thess
She’s the first of her kind: an AI therapist for human patients. But as she learns more about the human condition, Florence isn’t sure that she knows the answers any more than those she seeks to help.
The Following Year
Miguel Campaña
Each year on his anniversary, a widower seeks to come to terms with his partner’s tragic accident. Will a specially ordered clone provide him with the closure he seeks?
Friend of Sophia
Alden Peters
A woman considers whether to become a ‘friend of Sophia’ – that is, one who has sex with androids. Will she risk being punished in a world where such an attraction is criminalized?
Giselle
Emmanuel Shiu
A micro-meditation on loss, grief, and new beginnings.
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Hekademia
Gloria Mercer
Isolated teen Marion finally finds meaningful connection with Cassidy, a classmate in her virtual-reality high school. But coming of age, even in a dream-like simulation, will always have its share of angst.
Know-It-All
R.D. Womack II
Sophie has refused to date ever since the world suddenly became telepathic five years ago. An online suitor may just change her tune...as long as she confronts her own thoughts instead of worrying about his.
Late Night
JJ Pollack
A late-night TV show host’s work is never done.
Maeve in the Dark
Kasia Kaczmarek
Young Maeve is back in treatment for a chronic illness, but this time a new android caretaker helps shed some light on the teen’s experience of sexuality and gender norms.
The Name of the Prime Minister
Bizzy Thompson
In this political thriller, a psychiatrist interviews a man convinced Tony Blair is still the Prime Minister, while trying to get answers from agents in a secret government facility.
Out Of Body
Enrico Po
A young model struggles to find agency within a horror-themed photoshoot, while the mysterious client and his creepy crew drain away her sanity and self-worth.
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Pew! Pew! Pew!
Loren Dunn
At a cosplay convention, Miles has got some explaining to do with his friends. And what’s worse, his archenemy has just forced him into “battle,” putting those same friends in mortal danger!
Posted No Footage
Alisa Stern
Found footage? Check. Stop-motion? Of course. Puppets made of wool, rubber, and clay? Naturally! This micro-horror presents a terrifying alien encounter in the woods, as seen through a trail cam.
Prudence
R.D. Womack II
Alone in her cabin during a winter storm, a woman goes outside to investigate a strange noise…
Red String of Fate
Lovina Yavari, Lance Fernandes
A determined robotics engineer, along with trusty robo-sidekick Hachi, works to reanimate her fallen android lover against the backdrop of a gritty cyberpunk metropolis.
The Relic
J.M. Logan
It’s the climax of four adventurers’ search for a mythological object, and unfortunately the end of the world is barreling toward them at breakneck speed.
Silver Age
Steve Makowski, Harrison Lees
Does Elliot’s ailing grandfather have a secret past as a masked vigilante, or is he just senile?
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Skinner 1929
Aaron Blanton
In the fall of 2021, an obscure online channel streamed what has become the most talked-about mystery on the internet. This is that footage.
Smudged
Jack Muldoon
DMV, the near future: Adam finds himself on a Dantean odyssey through the bureaucratic hell of license-renewal.
Still Together
Christopher Piazza
Kate’s a department store merchandiser. Leif’s a Nordic warrior spirit trapped inside a mannequin. This is a love story.
Swiped
Edward J Douglas
It’s a tale as old as dating apps: woman matches on dating app, man meets her at bar, man is…not what she expected.
Transfer
Sage Mears, Aaron Pagniano
Max is rightfully nervous for this interview, and Bridget is not going to make it any easier for him.
Typhoon: We're in It
Rider Strong
In the woods, two friends attempt to revive their relationship with the help of a mysterious invention.
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Upstairs
Phillip Trow
At dinner, Jennifer is hell-bent on steering her sister’s new boyfriend away for his own safety. But what if Jennifer herself is the dangerous one?
Voices
Jake Hart
A telepathic intelligence operative is confronted by her handler for connecting with the minds of unsanctioned targets.
What Stays Behind
Nate Southard
In this powerful exploration of grief, a man struggles to continue while tortured alternately by visions of his wife’s beautiful spirit and the darkness that took her life.
Why Is It So Warm On Christmas?
Choi Woo Gene
Eugene is a movie star and, thanks to a freak accident, a masked superhero. There’s just one problem: his stylish costume leaves him cold in winter months. Never fear: crafty superfans to the rescue!
Wich
Anthony Williams
Danger exists in every corner of the house, even the forgotten one in the fridge.
Yelpy: Gravity
Jonathan Martin
A traveler is lost in space but ultimately redeemed for a second chance in this sweeping SciFi love story.
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Other Worlds Film Festival became
an official non-profit organization in 2020!
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