2018 ASCIFFF Program Guide

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WELCOME Welcome to the 3rd Annual Atlanta Science Fiction Film Festival presented by The Multicultural Sci-fi Organization - MCSFO! We’re proud and excited to work with HBO and Georgia Tech for the 3rd year in a row!! Still in its infancy stage, ASCIFFF is quickly becoming one of the most sought after film festivals in the country and soon, the world! And it’s all because of You - the sci-fi filmmakers, the smart and dedicated audiences that show up to be a part of an all-inclusive world of science fiction!

Science Fiction books and films has truly taken off in the last few years! And we’ve found some of the best, home grown and international indie films in this genre.

The Atlanta Sci-fi Film festival has screened and awarded films that have gone on to become successful, fan and industry favorites. The sci-fi short film, Project Kronos by VFX artist, Hasraf Dulull, screened in 2016, received his first feature film development deal with Paramount 20th Century Fox and Benderspink. Project Kronos, now called The Beyond, premiered for the first time in the US at the 2017 ASCIFFF and received a Jury Award for Best Sci-fi Feature Film. The Beyond can now be seen on Netflix!

Other very successful films that were screened were District 9 Director, Neil Blomkamp’s Zygote and Firebase, which is also in the works to become a feature length film.

This year we are elated to celebrate the 20 Year Anniversary of director Alex Proyas groundbreaking sci-fi film, DARK CITY, with an exclusive screening Saturday September 29th at GA State University’s Cinefest Theater! The annual audience choice short film competition has some of the most diverse films we’ve seen yet! Read this program cover to cover and you’ll be just as excited as we are with this year’s line-up!

The Multicultural Sci-fi Organization - MCSFO promotes, discuss and educates in the medium of science fiction and technology with a unique focus from an international perspective. Encouraging diversity in science fiction is one of the main missions of MCSFO and therefore is strongly encouraged. We don’t limit diversity to just ethnicity and race, but is inclusive of: culture, gender, sexual orientation and disability.

The mission of our annual Atlanta sci-fi (sf) film festival is to provide screens for the finest independent sf films locally and internationally. To increase cultural diversity and interest in sf film/tv, to inspire and strengthen the local sf film community by cultivating an engaged audience. We believe in encouraging rich storytelling, filled with infinite possibilities that challenge us and question our perception of the future!

See you at the festival!

-Amanda Ray 1

Thank You To All Our Sponsors

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THANK YOU! None of what we have done, could have been at all possible without the support of all of our sponsors, partners, staff and volunteers!!

This year, we’ve been very fortunate to work with some of the coolest people in our sci-fi family! This year, we want to honor just some of the following awesome rockstars for their outstanding dedication, commitment and support to The Atlanta Sci-fi Film Festival!

Dr. Lisa Yaszek Dr. Richard Utz Valerie Mannebach Andre Jarboe Shuyi Wang Surendra Naidoo Joshua Kassab All filmmakers in competition Volunteers - past and present

And a special thanks to ALL the filmmakers who submitted their sci-fi film. We thank you for sharing your vision and for your hard work!

facebook.com/ASCIFFF Twitter.com/MCSFO instagram.com/atlantasci_fifilmfestival

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VENUES

GA State University Cinefest Theater at GA State University (Enter through the Student Center Bldg) 55 Gilmer Street, Atlanta GA 30303 (corner of Gilmer & Piedmont) M Deck Parking lot on same corner.

Georgia Tech The Clary Theater at the Bill Moore Student Success Center GPS Add - 190 North Avenue NW, Atlanta, GA 30313 4

SCHEDULE AT A GLANCE SATURDAY SEPT 29, 2018 at CINEFEST AT GA STATE UNIVERSITY Live Action SF Film Short Competition (AUDIENCE Votes for Winner!)

2:00 PM - Block 1 Close-up - by Maria Wieczorek Andromeda - by Emily Dean Listening - by Benjamin Brown Prototype - by Christopher Ortega

3:00 PM - Block 2 The Last Dance - by Chris Keller Pony - by Darion Film The Nine Billion Names of God - by Dominique Filhol

3:40 PM - Block 3 The Last Office - by Trevor Hoover Let Them Die Like Lovers- by Jesse Atlas The Original - by Michelle Garza Cervera

4:40 PM - Block 4 FINALISTS Best of the Best, Finals Judged by the Audience

6:00 PM - SPECIAL FEATURE DARK CITY - by Alex Proyas

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SCHEDULE AT A GLANCE SUNDAY SEPT 30, 2018 3:00 PM - 5:00 PM AT GEORGIA TECH Bill Moore Student Success Center, The Clary Theater Sci-fi Writers Scope Hosted by Georgia Tech’s School of Literature, Media and Communication

Award Ceremony Announcing the Winners of the: Audience Choice Award for Best Live Action Sci-fi Short

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SATURDAY SCREENINGS at CINEFEST

2:00 PM Block 1 Live Action Sci-Fi Film Short Competition (Audience will Vote!)

• Close-up - by Maria Wieczorek [12:14] What would you do if you were blind and got a chance to regain sight?

It’s easy. And what if what you see will be made up and implanted in the form of a lens? Of course you decide about everything.

• Andromeda - by Emily Dean [15:00] Andromeda is a sci fi short film about an android who, through her friendship with a little girl, becomes alive.

• Listening - by Benjamin Brown [7:32] A mysterious man follows a woman’s every move, listening all the time.

• Protptype - by Christopher Ortega [15:00] Afrofuturist Sci-Fi: A reluctant black woman scientist trapped in her mother’s lab seeks to program an android with human-like empathy.

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SATURDAY SCREENINGS at CINEFEST

3:00 PM Block 2 Live Action Sci-Fi Film Short Competition (Audience will Vote!)

• The Last Dance - by Chris Keller [7:37] In the not-too-distant future, an old man works alone in his garage – click-click-clicking the hours away on an old desktop computer. His name is Hugo, and he’s making something… Something great…

• Pony - by Darion D’Anjou [6:25] Struggling to survive in a near future world where jobs are non-existent, Kima and Grayson must determine how far they are willing to go to keep their son Christopher alive.

• The Nine Billion Names of God - by Dominique Filhol [14:25]

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1957, New York. A Tibetan monk rents an automatic sequence computer. The monks seek to list all of the names of God. They hire two Westerners to install and program the machine in Tibet... This short film is based on the book by Arthur C. Clarke.

SATURDAY SCREENINGS at CINEFEST

4:40 PM Block 3 Live Action Sci-Fi Film Short Competition (Audience will Vote!)

• The Last Office - by Trevor Hoover [11:26] In an alternate 1940s, a switchboard operator must endlessly serve as the link between two worlds, connecting calls across the barrier line of life and death.

One day, he fields a call from someone he knew in a past life.

• Let Them Die Like Lovers - by Jesse Atlas [15:00] In this emotionally-charged sci-fi thriller, a soldier jumps from body to body, but her hardest mission is coming home.

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SATURDAY SCREENINGS at CINEFEST

• The Original - by Michelle Garza Cervera [13:12] Alana is a woman struggling to keep her relationship alive as her partner suffers with a debilitating illness. A new medical procedure offers the answer to their prayers, but not without forcing her to make one last sacrifice.

4:40 PM Block 4 FINALISTS Live Action Sci-Fi Film Short Competition Audience will vote on the final 3 best of the best filmst!

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EXCLUSIVE SCREENING at CINEFEST

6:00 PM - EXCLUSIVE SCREENING DARK CITY

by Alex Proyas Running Time: 1hr 40min Dark City, a 1998 neo-noir science fiction film directed by Alex Proyas, sparked an insatiable appetite for new cerebral films like, The Matrix and mind-bending narratives like Inception. And while Blade Runner was an inspiration with its’ deliciously dark and gloomy backdrops, Dark City takes you on a one-way trip to unknown dimensions.

The screenplay was written by Proyas, Lem Dobbs and David S. Goyer. The film stars Rufus Sewell, Kiefer Sutherland, Jennifer Connelly, and William Hurt. Sewell plays John Murdoch, an amnesiac man who finds himself suspected of murder.

Murdoch attempts to discover his true identity and clear his name while on the run from the police and a mysterious group known only as the “Strangers”.

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SCI-FI WRITERS SCOPE at The Clary Thearer

SUNDAY SEPT 30, 2018 AT GEORGIA TECH - Bill Moore Student Success Center, The Clary Theater

Sci-fi Writers Scope Hosted by Georgia Tech’s School of Literature, Media and Communication Our first writers panel will cover info on: Literary Agents Author Casey Alane providing tips on:

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How she found a Literary Agent

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How under-represented voices in sci-fi can find the right agent for your work

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Expectations with how long it will take to find the right agent Casey Alane is an author of young adult fantasy and contemporary novels. She has been represented

by Jim McCarthy of Dystel, Goderich, and Bourret LLC since 2017, and her books often explore the complicated and exciting lives of queer girls and the people who love them. She has a PhD in English, focusing on young adult literature and the American teenager, and is a Marion L. Brittain Postdoctoral Fellow at Georgia Institute of Technology under the name Casey Wilson.

SCI-FI WRITERS SCOPE at The Clary Thearer

Screenplay Writers Louis Savy - Director of Sci-fi London will be sharing valuable tips on: •

How to translate a good script into a great film!

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How to find good acting talent. And more!

Louis is the Founder and Festival Director of SCIFI-LONDON (the Annual International Festival of Science Fiction and Fantastic Film) which he began 16 years ago. He has organised numerous science fiction and filmmaking events and projects involving thousands of people across the UK. He has produced several award-winning shorts and features.

Marketing MCSFO will give simple but effective tips on: •

Choosing the right images to promote your film

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Hiring the best illustrators for your book cover

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Thinking outside the box when competing for visual attention on social media.

New Technology for your Sci-Fi Story RoboGrads Student will present new technology projects. Writers will have an opportunity to speak with technologists about getting permission to create narratives around their projects.

Award Ceremony Closing out the day with announcing the winner of the Audience Choice Award for Best Live Action Sci-fi Short!

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