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EXTRATERRESTRIAL ACTIVITIES Screenwriting: Save the Whales, Save the Script
The SciFi Lecture: The Old Dark Trope
Saturday, December 7, 10 AM - 11:30 AM Austin School of Film at Motion Media Arts Center, 2200 Tillery Street - Austin, Texas 78723 (Open to the public, but please RSVP with austinfilmschool.org as a courtesy)
Saturday, December 7, 4:20 PM Beta Theater (Open to ALL Badge holders)
Join us for an in-depth screenwriting workshop from 2019 Other Worlds Defender of the Universe Awardee Nicholas Meyer. Adept with both original and adapted screenplays, with and without collaborators, credited and uncredited, Meyer will give us a peek into his process and influences. Drawing examples from films he’s loved and learned from; some old, some silent, some foreign, some his own, he’ll give those in attendance a little insight into how screenplays like TIME AFTER TIME, STAR TREK II: THE WRATH OF KHAN, FATAL ATTRACTION, and SOMMERSBY go from thought to page. There will be lots of time for questions from Other Worlds Artistic Senior Programmer Dan Repp and the attendees. It’s free and open to the public. “As I’ve taught this stuff, it should be cool.” – Nicholas Meyer
Live From Other Worlds Film Fest – It’s “Science vs. Fiction” Saturday, December 7, 2:15 PM Beta Theater (Open to ALL Badge holders) Scott Weinberg is a veteran film critic. Steven DeGennaro is a doctor of astrophysics. Every week they compare and contrast two noteworthy SciFi films on their popular podcast “Science vs Fiction,” where they discuss the artistic quality of the films, whether they get the science right, and whether or not that even matters. Past pairings have included ARMAGEDDON vs DEEP IMPACT, ALIENS vs STARSHIP TROOPERS, and JASON X vs LEPRECHAUN IN SPACE IN SPACE. At Other Worlds, they will open the massive can of worms that is cinematic time travel when they turn their talents on the 1979 classic (and Opening Night Film!) TIME AFTER TIME.
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“It was a dark and stormy night. The couple’s car breaks down, blows a tire, crashes into a tree and runs out of gas. Yes, all at the same time. An ominous Victorian house at the top of the hill is the only refuge for miles and miles. They have nowhere to go and must seek refuge in THE OLD DARK HOUSE. This year at Other Worlds, we are exploring the trope of the Old Dark House, how it originated, other tropes and stories that appear in within the Old Dark House, and how the trope has evolved and continues to be used today. Join Other Worlds Programmer and Screenwriting Director Eric Harrelson for a discussion and clip show curated by Other Worlds newest Programmer Wyatt Walker. Find out why old tropes never die, they just get subverted.
Book Signing: “The Adventure of The Peculiar Protocols” Sunday, December 8, 4:30PM Galaxy Lobby (In Collaboration with Book People and Open to the Public) With the international bestseller “The SevenPer-Cent Solution,” Nicholas Meyer brought to light a previously unpublished case of Sherlock Holmes, as recorded by Dr. John H. Watson. Now Meyer returns with a shocking discovery— an unknown case drawn from a recently unearthed Watson journal. After his Defender of the Universe screening on Sunday, Meyer will sign copies of his new book, which we will have on sale courtesy of Book People. Grab your own copy of the book The Wall Street Journal calls “A gem...delightful reading for everyone.”
The Other Worlds 2019 Holiday Special Sunday, December 8, 9:30 PM - Midnight The Carousel Lounge, 1110 E 52nd St, Austin, TX 78723 (Open to ALL Badge holders) Join us at this infamous carnival themed lounge bar. Beer and wine as well as nonalcoholic beverages are available for purchase. Enjoy complimentary specialty libations from our sponsor Revolution Spirits.
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FOUNDER’S LOG: STARDATE 2019 This year, as the festival has rebranded from Other Worlds Austin to the more galacticlyminded Other Worlds, we have been very conscious to continue to push the boundaries of Science Fiction, while still championing indie filmmakers creating the kind of films we’ve loved since childhood. In 2014 when we started this journey, I never could have imagined we would have Star Trek’s greatest writer/director here at the fest receiving our Defender of the Universe Award. Nicholas Meyer is not only a SciFi legend, he also had the pleasure to do something I think everyone else here would love to do: play in Gene Roddenberry’s sandbox. That’s what great SciFi does, it lets us explore other worlds, ones only available to the imagination. And the great thing about a film festival is that we can share these expeditions. I’ve had the privilege to have a great team with me on this journey. I need expressly to thank Jordan Brown, Don Elfant, Courtney Hazlett, Reid Lansford, and Dan Repp for believing in my vision for the fest from day one. Also with us from the start, our Design Team THE LABEL COLLECTIVE, went above and beyond designing our new logo and branding. We wanted something that captured the fullest possibilities of our favorite genre – and they delivered! With that in mind, this year I really challenged our programmers to think about our Under Worlds sidebar not as a horror program but as a collection of films that reveal the darkness just under the world we know. I think we found the most disparate batch of shadows to put on screen alongside our future visions. Other Worlds exists to spur the imagination, give witness to the future, and sometimes even make us fear the consequences. Thank you for taking this journey with us.
Bears Rebecca Fonté FOUNDER AND ARTISTIC DIRECTOR
#OtherWorlds2019
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LAUNCH FILM
Dreamscape (Dec 5, 7:42pm, Omega)
Dreamscape (35th Anniversary Screening) PARANORMAL ABILITIES US | 99 min | 1984 Director: Joseph Ruben Writers: David Loughery, Chuck Russell, Joseph Ruben Cast: Dennis Quaid, Max von Sydow, Christopher Plummer, Eddie Albert, Kate Capshaw, George Wendt, David Patrick Kelly Psychic Alex Gardner escapes his life of petty crime to join a government research project in which he uses powers to enter dreams of those with sleep disorders. However, as his talents develop and he delves deeper into the experiment, he discovers not everyone on the team shares the same motives and he may be the only one who can stop a plot against the project. Featuring a great cast and the perfect mix of SciFi, Horror, and Action, DREAMSCAPE was only the second film to receive a PG-13 rating. We are very proud to bring together Director Joseph Ruben and Screenwriter David Loughery for this exclusive 35th Anniversary screening care of 20th Century Fox. Joseph Ruben broke into film with sexploitation films like THE SISTER IN LAW and teensploitation films like THE POM POM GIRLS before achieving cult status with DREAMSCAPE and THE STEPFATHER. His greatest success came with the 1991 Julia Roberts thriller SLEEPING WITH THE ENEMY and 1993 Macaulay Culkin thriller THE GOOD SON. David Loughery broke into television with a story for HART TO HART. After the success of DREAMSCAPE, Loughery wrote STAR TREK V: THE FINAL FRONTIER. He teamed up with Rubin again for Wesley Snipes/Woody Harrelson buddy cop film MONEY TRAIN.
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OPENING NIGHT FILM
Enhanced (Dec 6, 9:55pm, Omega)
Enhanced (US Premiere) PARANORMAL ABILITIES Canada | 2019 | 97 min Director: James Mark Writers: James Mark, Matthew Nayman, Peter Van Horne Cast: Alanna Bale, George Tchortov, Adrian Holmes A secret task force hunts down a group of enhanced mutant outcasts, until their team leader begins to question if he is on the right side. When forced to capture a young girl just learning how to use her powers, he instead joins her to fight the government that is after her. But they are not the only ones on the tail of the mutants, as a super powerful enhanced serial killer seems intent to take down others of his kind. Other Worlds 2019 gets a jump start with the action packed, high tension ENHANCED as its Opening Night Film. The programming team selected this film to set the tone as to what to expect from this year’s line-up. This is the superhero genre that has taken over the cineplex, but told in a fresh, indie way. James Mark utilizes his experience as a stunt man and fight choreographer to fill the screen with intense action scenes. He combines this with a strong narrative and real characters with heart and drive. JAMES MARK began his career in film as a professional stuntman and fight choreographer working on titles such as JUMPER, PACIFIC RIM, and SCOTT PILGRIM VS THE WORLD. In 2016 James directed his first feature film KILL ORDER, a martial arts action film which was distributed by RLJE. This was followed by the action-drama titled ON THE ROPES, released in limited U.S. theaters on July 3rd, 2018 by Screen Media.
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DEFENDER OF THE UNIVERSE
Time After Time (Dec 6, 7:10pm, Omega)
Time After Time (40th Anniversary Screening) TIME TRAVEL / ALTERNATE HISTORY US | 112 min | 1979 Director/Writer: Nicholas Meyer Cast: Malcolm McDowell, David Warner, Mary Steenburgen Serial murderer Jack the Ripper escapes Victorian England using a time machine built by SciFi writer H.G. Wells. Pursing the criminal to 1979 San Francisco, Wells fails to find the socialist utopia he expects, instead landing in a world more suited for Jack the Ripper’s tastes. After reading an unpublished early draft of his friend’s novella, Meyer optioned the work and developed in into a charming comedy of two men, out of time, and the woman who gets caught between them, as well as a not so subtle dig at modern times.
DEFENDER OF THE UNIVERSE, NICHOLAS MEYER The Defender of the Universe Award honors a cinematic star or mentor whose heroic actions help mold us into the future humans we aspire to be. In stories that examine what it means to be human, often in the face of rapidly developing technology, alternate histories or multi-galaxial space sagas where we are just one of the many players in a political landscape, SciFi heroes teach us who we are and what we value. Nicholas Meyer is often referred to as the man who saved the STAR TREK Franchise, his STAR TREK II: THE WRATH OF KHAN (1982) setting a world record for its first-day box office gross and overcoming a perceived lackluster response to the first film. He went on to co-write STAR TREK IV: THE VOYAGE HOME (1986), and write and direct STAR TREK VI: THE UNDISCOVERED COUNTRY, as well as write for STAR TREK: DISCOVERY. Other major films include VOLUNTEERS (1985), THE DECEIVERS (1988), SOMMERSBY (1993), the television event film THE DAY AFTER (1983), which set a record as the highest-rated television film and the two-part History channel HOUDINI (2014) starring Adrien Brody. An accomplished fiction writer as well, Meyer adopted his first novel, THE SEVEN-PER-CENT SOLUTION, into an Academy-Award nominated screenplay. The Sherlock Holmes story was followed by three more, including THE ADVENTURE OF THE PECULIAR PROTOCOLS released this year.
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DEFENDER’S CHOICE
Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (Dec 8, 1:45pm, Omega)
Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country INTERGALACTIC POLITICS US | 101 min | 1991 Director: Nicholas Meyer Writers: Gene Roddenberry, Leonard Nimoy, Lawrence Konner, Mark Rosenthal, Nicholas Meyer, Denny Martin Flinn Cast: William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, DeForest Kelley, James Doohan, Walter Koenig, Nichelle Nichols, George Takei A one-of-a-kind chat with Meyer about his career as well as a selection from his past, hand-picked by the director himself. Inspired by a suggestion by Leonard Nimoy about what would happen if “the Wall came down in space,” Meyer crafted a space story in STAR TREK VI: THE UNDISCOVERED COUNTRY that existed in the shadow of the cold war.
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UNDER WORLDS CENTERPIECE FILM
Scare Package (Dec 7, 10:15pm, Omega)
Scare Package (Texas Premiere) META-HORROR COMEDY US | 2019 | 103 min Directors: Emily Hagins, Baron Vaughn, Noah Segan, Chris McInroy, Anthony Cousins, Hillary & Courtney Andujar, Aaron B. Koontz Cast: Toni Trucks, Joe Bob Briggs, Dustin Rhodes, Chase Williamson, Baron Vaughn, Noah Segan A meta Horror-comedy anthology film where each segment subverts a different set of Horror tropes, SCARE PACKAGE intertwines its components around the on-boarding of a mysterious new employee at a struggling genre video store: Rad Chad’s Horror Emporium. This year’s Under Worlds Centerpiece film is very special for our programming team for many reasons. It’s an intelligent, creative look at the Horror genre that is both hilarious and scary. Furthermore, three of the segments were shot here in Austin by local filmmakers, one of whom is an Other Worlds alumni. The producing team for the film does a great job managing the tone of the anthology while still maintaining each director’s vision. It is rare to see an anthology film where connecting material is just as compelling as the individual parts, but the team has done it here. AARON B. KOONTZ, Lead Producer, Co-Creator and CAMERON BURNS (Producer, Co-Creator) work together at Paper Street Pictures. Their first feature CAMERA OBSCURA debuted in 2017. Their feature screenplay DREAM MACHINE won the 2016 Other Worlds Screenwriting Competition.
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CLOSING NIGHT FILM
The Honeymoon Phase (Dec 8, 7:45pm, Omega)
The Honeymoon Phase (Texas Premiere) QUESTIONABLE SCIENTISTS US | 2019 | 88 min Writer/Director: Phillip G. Carroll Jr. Cast: Chloe Carroll, Jim Schubin, François Chau, Tara Westwood Struggling young couple Tom and Eve lie about being married so they can enter “The Millennium Project.” Paying $50,000, this 30-day scientific study analyzes couples’ relationships while they reside in futuristic smart homes secluded in the woods. Run by a mysterious researcher and his associate, the experiment finds Eve descending into violent madness, questioning her lover’s trust and whether he is the man she thinks he is. THE HONEYMOON PHASE caps off the 2019 Other Worlds Program with a love story covered in tension and drama. On top of the thrilling relationship ride, the film will leave the audience with plenty to contemplate and discuss until Other Worlds 2020 begins. PHILLIP G. CARROLL JR. went into production on THE HONEYMOON PHASE after the pitch for the film was a top five finalist in Project Greenlight and Shudder TV Reel Fear Horror Contest. He has chosen to be a fellow in the 2017 Shudder Labs, hosted by AMC Networks. THE HONEYMOON PHASE is his first feature.
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SCIFI SHORTS 1
Unregistered (Dec 7, 11:30am, Omega; Dec 8, 11:45am, Beta)
LOVE IN THE TIME OF ROBOTS 85 Minutes
Unregistered
Way Out Assistance
Sophia Banks | US | 15 min Writers: Sophia Banks, Erin Dignam Ata and her boyfriend debate the one-childper-household law enforced in futuristic LA, and a secret she keeps from him may finally come to light.
Stef Smith | Australia | 8 min Writer: Stef Smith A virtual-reality therapy program provides an important new lifeline for those who suffer.
Hello, World Nathan Hong Fisher | US | 12 min Writers: Nathan Hong Fisher, Kristy Richman Elderly couple Gayle & Bennett have a plan to continue their partnership past death, with the help of new technology. Alas, things don’t go quite the way they expected.
Gravity Jonathan Martin | US | 4 min In a music video for Yelpy, the artist finds himself stranded in space and time. A man must be saved by the woman he loves before all is lost. Alumni: CREATURES OF WHITECHAPEL (2016)
Jeff Drives You Aidan Brezonick | US | 17 min Writer: Addison Heimann Headed to his best friend’s wedding, lonely David is about to forge a very special bond with the smart car that’s taking him there.
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Gemini Mily Mumford | Canada | 13 min Writer: Mily Mumford A meet-cute at a subway station turns dark when both parties realize they share a past.
We Are Not Alone Trevor Clarence | South Africa | 15 min Writer: Trevor Clarence An alien with amnesia is trying really hard to remember why she’s here on Earth. She’s supposed to rescue someone. Or kill them. Or something.
Face Swap David Gidali, Einat Tubi | US | 5 min Writers: David Gidali, Einat Tubi Can a new technology – one that superimposes a celebrity’s face onto one’s own – save a married couple’s sex life? Eh, maybe.
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SCIFI SHORTS 2
Ava in the End (Dec 7, 2:00pm, Omega; Dec 8, 2:15pm, Beta)
CROSSING OVER TO THE FUTURE 88 minutes
See You On The Other Side
Mens Sana
The Summers Brothers | US | 11 min Writers: The Summers Brothers Through a series of dreams and visions, a woman begins to suspect reality has been altered by mysterious forces. Alumni: COUPLES NIGHT (2017); THE BENCH (2016)
Ludovica Musumeci | UK | 15 min Writer: Ludovica Musumeci Scientist Joyce is obsessed with finding a cure for a mind-controlling android virus that transmits via water. Her enemies, however, may be much closer than she thinks.
Regulation
Ava In The End
Ryan Patch | US | 12 min Writer: Ryan Patch Social worker Mia faces a crisis of conscience when she arrives to administer a behaviormodifying “happiness patch” to a reluctant young girl.
Ursula Ellis | US | 10 min Writer: Addison Heimann Recently deceased Ava’s consciousness has been uploaded into a digital purgatory. Unfortunately her only companion, the virtual assistant BAE, is kind of a bitch.
Live
Dispel
Taryn O’Neill | US | 13 min Writer: Taryn O’Neill A woman who broadcasts her life online for the entertainment of devoted followers is forced to confront her safety, her lover, and her conscience when she wakes up one day with a change of heart.
Kylie Eaton | US | 14 min Writer: Kylie Eaton Without her brother to protect her from their addict mother, Lizzie seeks guidance from TV hero Celeste Skygoode on how to save her mother before it’s too late.
Brain Jail Carleton Ranney | US | 13 min Writer: Carleton Ranney A handsome stranger may have just let Diane in on the most terrifying secret in the world. Alumni: JACKRABBIT (2015)
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UNDER WORLDS SHORTS
LO
Lane 9 (Dec 6, 7:05pm, Beta)
DARK NIGHTS AND DARK THOUGHTS 94 minutes
Fears
The Office Is Mine
Germán Sancho | Spain | 5 min Writer: Germán Sancho A little girl’s constant night terrors hide a tragic truth.
Michael Varrati | US | 14 min Writer: Michael Varrati Zac’s role as “the office gay” is being threatened by a new hire, and he’s not going to stand for it.
Prefigured Zeshaan Younus | US | 10 min Writer: Zeshaan Younus A secretive support group provides a strangely affected woman with the comfort and answers she seeks.
This Dark Thought Kris Theorin, Kurtis Theorin | US | 7 min Writer: Nik Theorin A young astronomer has discovered something strange in the night sky. If her newborn sister doesn’t stop crying, she may never solve the mystery. Alumni: MARY & MARSHA IN THE MANOR OF MADNESS (2017)
Let Me Play Andrew Bell | US | 9 min Writer: Andrew Bell A young girl faces a mysterious entity from her mother’s past – one that has a sadistic idea of fun.
Pig
The Rink Ronald Short | US | 13 min Writer: Ronald Short Lo is nervous to ask Mae to take the next step in their relationship, and her strange friends won’t be making the night any easier. WORLD PREMIERE!
Lane 9 Jessica Valentine, Richard Valentine | US | 16 min Writers: Jessica Valentine, Richard Valentine Two bowling alley employees find themselves at the mercy of an evil entity that has taken up residence in one of the lanes on Halloween night, 1979.
We Got A Monkey’s Paw Aaron Pagniano | US | 9 min Writers: Zackary E Ogle, Aaron Pagniano Zack has one last chance to convince his best friend Jakki not to move out, and he’s got a pretty good idea of how to do it.
Evan Powers | US | 8 min Writers: Bryce McGuire, Evan Powers Psycho killers have feelings, too.
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LONG SHORTS
Balloon (Dec 7, 4:25pm, Alpha; Dec 9, 5:10pm, Beta)
LINGERING VISIONS 97 Minutes
The Automation
Balloon
W. Alex Reeves | US | 22 min Writer: W. Alex Reeves In 1897 South Dakota, troubled widow Margaret gains a renewed sense of purpose upon discovering her late husband’s secret project: a robot named Otto.
Jeremy Merrifield | US | 17 min Writers: Jeremy Merrifield, Dave Testa Young teen Sam’s trouble with a school bully coincides with his burgeoning superpowers in this meditation on toxic masculinity.
Keystroke Tom Sanchez Prunier | US | 20 min Writer: Tom Sanchez Prunier Two roommates clean up their new apartment after the previous tenant and find a computer with a journal of all history that they can edit in any way they please.
Young Blood Maiara Walsh | US | 19 min Writer: Maiara Walsh Healthy young adults make good money providing blood transfusions to the aging wealthy class. When Logan breaks his strict contract, however, he learns he’s giving away much more than his blood.
Keloid Brendan Pollecutt | US | 19 min Writer: Brendan Pollecutt When her fiancé dumps her after she gives him one of her kidneys, a grieving woman begins to formulate a plot for revenge.
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OTHER WORLDS FEATURES
Afterlife (Dec 6, 4:40pm, Beta; Dec 7, 7:20pm, Alpha)
Afterlife (Texas Premiere) ALTERNATE REALITIES The Netherlands | 2019 | 93 min Writer/Director: Willem Bosch Cast: Sanaa Giwa, Romana Vrede, Gijs Scholten van Aschat, Jan-Paul Buijs After her mother’s passing, teenage Sam takes up most of the household responsibilities. When she, too, ends up in the afterlife and finds out she can get a do-over, Sam gives life another try with the sole mission of saving her mother. A fantasy science fiction film, Afterlife tugs on the heart strings and deals with the hard realities of life and death. (In Dutch with English subtitles.)
After We Leave (North American Premiere) DYSTOPIA SOCIETIES US | 2019 | 82 min Writer/Director: Aleem Hossain Cast: Brian Silverman, Clay Wilcox, Anslem Richardson, Anita Leman Torres Jack returns to a bleak Los Angeles after abandoning his wife six years ago. There’s only one way to escape this high crime, dystopian world – getting a visa to an off-world colony, but it’s a couples’ visa and Jack needs his wife to use it. Jack dives back into the world of crime that he left behind in search of his wife and a way off the planet. Is Jack back because he wants to make things right or because he needs his wife to use this “lottery ticket” to a better life?
Screening with After We Leave:
Liminal
Collin Davis, Matt Litwiller | US | 7 min Writer: Matt Litwiller The lead scientist of a topsecret teleportation experiment slowly pieces together the dire consequences of her latest feat while on a smoke break with a new employee.
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Alien Addiction (Dec 6, 7:20pm, Beta; Dec 9, 5:00pm, Alpha)
Alien Addiction (US Premiere) FIRST CONTACT New Zealand | 2019 | 96 min Director: Shae Sterling Writers: Shae Sterling, Melanie Price, Ricky Silvester Cast: Jimi Jackson, Thomas Sainsbury, Harry Summerfield, Jojo Waaka, Ayham Ghalayini. Riko lives in a small town in the middle of nowhere (well, Waikato, New Zealand). Life is pretty normal, that is until two aliens crash-land near his house. Fortunately for Riko, the aliens like to get high and chill as much as he does and they develop an intergalactic friendship of epic proportions, as well as a strange relationship to human feces. However, unknown to the happy-golucky visitors, alientologist Peter Mackintosh is hot on their trail and plans to capture them and reveal them to the world.
Around the Sun (Texas Premiere) METAPHYSICAL ROMANCE
Screening with Around the Sun:
When We Dance
UK | 2019 | 78 min Director: Oliver Krimpas Writer: Jonathan Kiefer Cast: Cara Theobold, Gethin Anthony
Charles Pieper | US | 12 min Writer: Kenny J. Wright
A film location finder is shown around a repossessed, crumbling French château. Over the course of the afternoon, he slowly falls for both the place and the owner’s flirtatious representative, as she recounts the story of a famous book set there. But is their presentday connection for real, or just a projection of the book’s 17th Century characters? As the scene plays over in different variations, the two almost lovers orbit around each other like a binary star system, forever circling but never quite reaching each other.
On the night of his wife’s funeral, Henry digs out the record that was playing when they first met and finds himself faced with her ghost. Alumni: MALACOSTRACA (2018).
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Doppelgänger (Dec 7, 9:45pm, Beta)
Doppelgänger (Founder’s Choice | 50th Anniversary Screening) SPACE TRAVEL Robert Parrish | UK | 101 min | 1969 Writer: Gerry and Sylvia Anderson, Donald James, Tony Williamson Cast: Roy Thinnes, Ian Hendry, Lynn Loring A.K.A. JOURNEY TO THE FAR SIDE OF THE SUN, this Pinewood Studios production was intended as the UK’s answer to 2001, similar head-scratching ending included. Set In 2069, DOPPELGÄNGER follows the international incident that occurs when the European Space Exploration Council discovers a planet in the same orbit as Earth on the other side of the Sun. Part political thriller, part conspiracy theory, part psychedelic freak-out, Parrish’s film from SciFi puppet THUNDERBIRDS scribes Gerry and Sylvia Anderson features a great performance from US TV star Thinnes (THE INVADERS) who married his costar Lynn Loring after filming.
“This mostly forgotten SciFi drama captures an age when we were just discovering ‘what’s out there’ and anything seemed possible, as well as possibly terrifying.” – Bears Rebecca Fonté
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The Final Land (Dec 8, 7:40pm, Beta)
The Final Land (North American Premiere) SPACE TRAVEL Germany | 2019 | 113 min Writer/Director: Marcel Barion Cast: Milan PeĹĄl, Torben FĂśllmer A runaway convict and his pursuer escape a prison planet in an old spaceship in search of a new home. As they search for a place to go, their separate paths to this moment become a point of conflict, as well as the strange history of this derelict ship that they now drive. Then a strange signal gives them hope of a new future. In the grand tradition of 2001 and SOLARIS, THE FINAL LAND plays off the mystery of vastness of space and our still miniscule understanding of our place inside it. (In German with English subtitles.)
I Am Human (Texas Premiere) DOCUMENTARY US | 2019 | 90 min Directors: Taryn Southern, Elena Gaby I AM HUMAN explores the co-evolution of humans and technology, focusing on a small group of people with different ailments that choose to use robotic implants to cure themselves. Diving deep into the current technology and where science could take us in the future, I AM HUMAN fills its frames with heart-warming stories of real people and their process of deciding to accept technology as a part of their bodies.
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Lake Michigan Monster (Dec 6, 10:05pm, Beta)
Lake Michigan Monster (Texas Premiere) CRYPTOZOOLOGY US | 2018 | 78 min Writer/Director: Ryland Brickson Cole Tews Cast: Ryland Tews, Erick West, Beulah Peters The eccentric Captain Seafield hires a crew of specialists in his revenge plot against the creature that killed his father. After several failed attempts, Seafield is forced to take matters into his own drunken hands. What began as a simple case of man versus beast soon plunges down a rabbit hole of mysterious unknowns and Lovecraftian hijinks.
Screening with Lake Michigan Monster:
The Obliteration Of The Chickens Izzy Lee | US | 3 min Writer: Izzy Lee
Our existence is meaningless. Chickens are proof of this.
The Old Dark House (World Premiere of New Score by Jay Woelfel) US | 1932 | 73 min Director: James Whale Writers: J.B. Priestley (from the novel by) (as J.B. Priestly), Benn W. Levy (screenplay) Cast: Boris Karloff, Melvyn Douglas, Charles Laughton, Gloria Stuart A precursor to the genre of renegade young people getting stranded among older (and far more degenerate) adults in a remote location, THE OLD DARK HOUSE is a “pre-code” film and features some language and sexually suggestive material that would be banned from American screens until the 1960s. Boundaries will be crossed, reality will fail, and mayhem will ensue. The family our kids come across, this time, can also be seen as the grandparents of THE ADAMS FAMILY. THE OLD DARK HOUSE, is FRANKENSTEIN director, James Whale’s follow up horror film that also stars the previously unknown Boris Karloff and is a precursor to their final film together, BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN. Like many films of the day, it was released with a “library score,” music not specifically composed for the title. Award-winning composer Jay Woelfel has composed a brand new 52-minute music score, the first ever done for the film.
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Volition (Dec 7, 10:00pm, Alpha)
Volition (Texas Premiere) PARANORMAL ABILITIES US | 2019 | 91 min Director: Tony Dean Smith Writers: Tony Dean Smith, Ryan W. Smith Cast: Adrian Glynn McMorran, Magda Apanowicz, John Cassini On a rain-soaked night in 1991, two cars collide, leaving all drivers dead on the scene, including the mother of the lone survivor – a child – James Odin. Seven-year-old James foresaw the accident happening two days prior and tried to prevent it, but who’s going to believe a kid who claims to see the future? Twenty-plus years later, James is a product of the failed foster care system, using his ability for petty crime and cheap thrills. But when a pre-sentient vision reveals to him his own imminent murder, James must go on the run and change a fate he knows is fixed.
If it’s important to Austin, it’s in the Chronicle. au st in ch ro ni cl
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UNDER WORLDS FEATURES
1BR (Dec 7, 1:50pm, Alpha) 1BR (Texas Premiere)
The A
URBAN TERROR
TIME
US | 2019 | 90 min Writer/Director: David Marmor Cast: Nicole Brydon Bloom, Taylor Nichols, Giles Matthey
UK | 20 Writer Cast: R
Leaving behind a painful past to follow her dreams, Sarah scores the perfect Hollywood apartment. Once she moves in though, something is not right. Unable to sleep, tormented by strange noises and threatening notes, her new life quickly starts to unravel. By the time she learns the horrifying truth, it’s too late. She’s been accepted into a special community, and her lease is for the rest of her life. Caught in a waking nightmare, Sarah must find the strength to hold onto her crumbling sanity or be trapped forever in this Apartment Complex.
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INSTI
A Good Woman is Hard to Find (Texas Premiere)
US | 20 Writer Cast: L
NEO NOIR UK | Belgium | Ireland | 2019 | 97 min Director: Abner Pastoll Writer: Ronan Blaney Cast: Sarah Bolger, Edward Hogg, Andrew Simpson Recently widowed mother of two, Sarah, is desperate to know who murdered her husband in front of her young son, rendering him mute. Coerced into helping a low-life drug dealer stash narcotics stolen from the local Mr. Big, she’s forced into taking drastic action to protect her children, evolving from downtrodden submissive to take-charge vigilante.
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The Ascent (Dec 7, 7:30pm, Omega) The Ascent (US Premiere) TIME LOOP HORROR UK | 2019 | 100 min Writer/Director: Tom Paton Cast: Rachel Warren, Simon Meacock, Bentley Kalu A special ops squad infiltrate a civil war to retrieve intel. After they wipe out a group of enemy soldiers and execute a prisoner of war, the unit soon finds themselves trapped on a never-ending stairwell forced to climb or die. Their only exit returns them to their attack on the enemy soldiers. They must find a way to right their wrongs or forever be trapped on a never-ending staircase.
Dementer (Texas Premiere) INSTITUTIONAL GOTHIC US | 2019 | 80 min Writer/Director: Chad Crawford Kinkle Cast: Larry Fessenden, Katie Groshong, Stephanie Kinkle, Scott Hodges Katie begins to put her life back together after escaping a backwoods cult by taking a job in a home for special needs adults. Then the dark messages of her past tell her one of the sick patients needs more than just medicine. Dementer is an art house horror passion project that came to life when director, Chad Crawford Kinkle wanted to make a film with his special needs sister. Shot in an almost documentary style, the film embraces and properly represents the developmentally disabled, both in the script and in the actual casting, while still being both thrilling and disturbing.
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Dead Dicks (Dec 7, 4:35pm, Omega) Dead Dicks (US Premiere) SCIFI HORROR Canada | 2019 | 83 min Writer/Directors: Chris Bavota, Lee Paula Springer Cast: Heston Horwin, Jillian Harris, Matt Keye When a young nursing student named Becca receives a series of panicked messages from her older brother Richie, she rushes over to check on him. Following a seemingly successful suicide attempt, Richie, who suffers from mental illness, discovers what appears to be his own dead body. When Becca gets to his apartment, they find more dead versions of Richie as well as a strange hole in his bedroom wall. Together, they must figure why his suicide just won’t keep.
Spiral (Texas Premiere) LOVECRAFTIAN SUBURBS Canada | 2019 | 90 min Director: Kurtis David Harder Writers: Colin Minihan, John Poliquin Cast: Jeffrey Bowyer-Chapman, Ari Cohen, Jennifer Laporte In the mid-nineties, same-sex couple, Aaron and Malik, move to a small town so they can enjoy a better quality of life and raise their 16-year-old daughter, Kayla, with the best social values. However, nothing is as it seems in their picturesque neighborhood. At first, Malik holds back his suspicions and covers up bigoted vandalism in their home. Nevertheless, when Malik witnesses the folks next door throwing a very strange party, his suspicions become a Lovecraftian reality.
Screening with Dead Dicks:
Hide and Seek
Andrew Gleason, Thomas Nicol | US | 13 min Writers: Andrew Gleason, Thomas Nicol A cutesy app turns into a nightmare for two sisters when they’re unable to end the game or control the rapidly escalating stakes.
Screening with Spiral:
Conversion Therapist Bears Rebecca Fonte | US | 20 min Writer: Bears Rebecca Fonte A pansexual, polyamorous trio kidnap a ‘pray-the-gay-away’ evangelical conversion therapist and torture him until he sees the light.
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Z (Dec 6, 7:15pm, Alpha) Z (Texas Premiere) CREEPY KIDS
Screening with Z:
The Helping Hand
Canada | 2019 | 83 min Director: Brandon Christensen Writers: Brandon Christensen, Colin Minihan Cast: Keegan Connor Tracy, Jett Klyne, Sean Rogerson
Brenden Hubbard | US | 10 min Writers: Brian Barnes, Brenden Hubbard
Cynical Beth feels trapped by her status as mom. She takes care of others before taking care of herself. She doesn’t think anything of it when her son, Josh, brings Z, an Imaginary Friend, into the house, ignoring small signs that her son’s new friendship may not be a heathy one. After a particularly tragic play date, Beth drugs Josh, leaving Z without a friend to play with. And he turns to Beth.
WHILE YOU’RE IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD
After installing a digital caretaker to watch over their young daughter while she sleeps, a couple realizes too late that something sinister is at play.
revolution spirits distillery and tasting room open thursday-sunday check website for hours
HOUSE BEER. SCRATCH FOOD. A 4 min drive from Galaxy Theater 6015 Dillard Circle Austin 78752
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revolutionspirits.com
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AWARDS
OTH
STAFF
Bears Found
Jordan Assoc
Don El Direct
Dan Re Senior
Debbie Progra
Mary Shelley Award
The Dan O’Bannon Awards
As part as its continuing effort to discover and celebrate female voices working in the genre field, Other Worlds every year presents the Mary Shelley Award, awarded to the best film that furthers the involvement and representation of women in the SciFi genre. This award is sponsored by Canine Productions, producers of award-winning indie shorts, music videos and documentaries. The Mary Shelley Award is named for the author of “Frankenstein,” the original SciFi novel – a work that examines the human condition and the positive and dangerous possibilities of science.
This year we’ve decided to rename our annual Audience Awards to honor SciFi legend Dan O’Bannon (ALIEN, DARK STAR, TOTAL RECALL). The winners, like always, are selected by the audience during the festival and receive a Xenomorph Trophy at the closing night party.
THE 2019 FINALISTS DEAD DICKS (co-writer/director Lee Paula Springer) DISPEL (writer/director Kylie Eaton) GEMINI (writer/director Mily Mumford) LIVE (writer/director Taryn O’Neill) MENS SANA (writer/director Ludovica Musumeci)
THE 2019 JURY Stéphanie Joalland, Filmmaker, The Quiet Hour (OW Orbiter 2015) Lela Meadow-Conner, Executive Director, Film Festival Alliance Susan Kerns, Cow Lamp Films, acquisitions (a division of Questar) and Assoc Chair of the Cinema and Television Arts Dept, Columbia College Chicago
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STATEMENT FROM DIANE O’BANNON (DAN’S WIDOW)
“When Dan O’Bannon and John Carpenter made DARK STAR they were fired up to make what they wanted to see. It was personal. When USC Cinema Department told them their film would never be seen ‘on the circuit’ because it went 10 minutes over the time limit, they snatched the film away from the school and spent the next five years scraping up the money and doing the work to complete it. The steps that led these young men to success were ambition, a desire to make films they wanted to see, a wise and reasonable disregard for the ‘rules’ and perseverance beyond imagining. Dan’s advice to you would be: simply do it. Bring your vision into the world with energy. Your actions will bring results, even if they are not the kind you are hoping for or expecting.”
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Eric H Progra
Courtn Progra
Reid L Progra
Tessa Progra
Robyn Progra
Wyatt Progra
OTHER WORLDS STAFF STAFF
VOLUNTEER FILM SCREENERS
Bears Rebecca Fonte Founder & Artistic Director
Brett Ryan Bonowicz Robert Summers Russell Summers
Jordan Brown Associate Artistic Director Don Elfant Director of Marketing & Development Dan Repp Senior Programmer & Director of Events Debbie Cerda Programmer & Director of Hospitality Eric Harrelson Programmer & Director of Screenwriting
SCRIPT READERS Tom North Kate Gollahon Sandra Yole Stephanie Donnelly Dan Horrigan Keira Marti
Courtney Hazlett Programmer & Director of Operations Reid Lansford Programmer & Director of Registration Tessa Morrison Programmer & Director of Outreach Robyn Paxman Programmer & Director of Social Media Wyatt Walker Programmer & Director of Transportation
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SCHEDULE THURSDAY, DECEMBER 5 Dreamscape (Launch Film) 7:42 - 9:55, Omega
UNDER WORLDS SCREENING OTHER WORLDS SCREENING End times include Q&As
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 6 OMEGA
ALPHA
BETA
4:00 5:00 6:00
UW Shorts: Dark Nights & Dark Thoughts 4:30 - 6:35
The Final Land 4:15 - 6:40
Time after Time (Defender of the Universe Screening) 7:10 - 9:25
Z 7:15 - 9:15
Afterlife 4:40 - 6:45
7:00 8:00 9:00 10:00 11:00
Enhanced (Opening Night Film) 9:55 - 12:15
Spiral 9:45 - 12:00
Alien Addiction 7:20 - 9:30
Lake Michigan Monster 10:05 - 11:55
12:00
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SATURDAY, DECEMBER 7 OMEGA
ALPHA
BETA
11:00 12:00 1:00 2:00 3:00 4:00 5:00 6:00
SciFi Shorts 1: Love in the Time of Robots 11:30 - 1:25
Dementer 11:30 - 1:15
SciFi Shorts 2: Crossing Over to the Future 2:00 - 4:00
1BR 1:50 - 3:50
Dead Dicks 4:35 - 6:40
Long Shorts: Lingering Visions 4:25 - 6:30
The Ascent 7:30 - 9:40
Afterlife 7:20 - 9:25
I am Human 11:45 - 1:40
Science vs. Fiction 2:15 - 3:45
7:00 8:00 9:00 10:00 11:00 12:00
Scare Package (Under Worlds Centerpiece) 10:15 - 12:30
The SciFi Lecture 4:20 - 5:50
UW Shorts: Dark Nights & Dark Thoughts 7:05 - 9:10
Volition 10:00 - 12:00
Doppelganger (Founder’s Choice) 9:45 - 11:15
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 8 11:00 12:00 1:00 2:00 3:00
OMEGA Around the Sun 11:15 - 1:10
ALPHA
BETA
The Old Dark House 12:00 - 1:40
DOTU Conversation & Screening (ST VI) 1:45 - 4:15
The Ascent 2:15 - 4:25
SciFi Shorts 2: Crossing Over to the Future 2:15- 4:15
After We Leave 5:05 - 7:10
Alien Addiction 5:00 - 7:05
Long Shorts: Lingering Visions 5:10 - 7:15
The Honeymoon Phase (Closing Night Film) 7:45 - 9:40
A Good Woman is Hard to Find 7:40 - 9:20
The Final Land 7:40 - 10:00
4:00 5:00 6:00
SciFi Shorts 1: Love in the Time of Robots 11:45 - 1:40
7:00 8:00 9:00 10:00 Badge line policy: Given the new space, we’ve decided to approach seating differently this year. Before each block of 3 simultaneous films, stop by the OW Table to receive a Queue Card. DO NOT LINE UP, there is not enough room for lines at the Galaxy. Instead we will be calling out boarding groups A, B, C, and D to enter the theater. If there are no more Queue Cards available for a particular show, you will have to take a card for another film in the same block.
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As we only sell the number of badges as we have seats, there should always be a seat for you in one of the theaters. Under Worlds Screenings are open to all badgeholders. Black Hole and Super Massive Black Hole badgeholders have first priority. All films are unrated. Parental guidance is advised.
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I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration. — Frank Herbert, Dune
Since day one, we’ve been proud to be the Creative Sponsor of Other Worlds Film Festival. Branding • Creative • Marketing • Strategy • Content • Development
thelabelcollective.com
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