Seed

The year is 2071 and technology has allowed humanity to spread out in to the universe. Planets can be colonized and one of them is named Gaia. Before settlers can arrive the planet must be fully surveyed and its safety proven. An astronaut is sent on this solo mission but what he discovers could bring human life to an end on Gaia.

Directed by Tyson Wade Johnston and starring Justin Zachary (the writing honors going to both) Seed is a tense short film which looks amazing. It was inspired by a number of 60s and 70s movies, including Planet of the Apes, 2001 A Space Odyssey and Close Encounters and it certainly does have the look and feel of those decades. Yet it stands very well in its own right too.

Like much of the best science fiction, Seed allows the viewer to use their imagination to interpret the events as they unfold (and unfold and unfold in this case).

Exo

Many science fiction films have shown a future when the Earth becomes so polluted, and life so unsustainable, that the idea of leaving and discovering new, untouched worlds is given life. So a fleet of ships is created and they set off in to the universe in search of virgin territory. This is the same idea that is presented in Exo but there is something of a twist in the tale.

This represents Torben Weit’s Bachelor thesis at the University of Applied Sciences Münster in Germany.  It also features a cool soundtrack by Nine Inch Nails, specifically Lights in the Sky and Corona Radiata.