Origin

In the smog-choked dystopian Los Angeles of 2019, blade runner Rick Deckard is called out of retirement to terminate a quartet of replicants who have escaped to Earth seeking their creator for a way to extend their short life spans.

Host Scott Forrest presents a curated compilation of eight independent short films in this rapid-fire science-fiction feature. Genres collide, narratives twist, aesthetics clash, and even humor, both campy and dystopian, showcase the vast creative possibilities of each story's individual world, offering the viewer a brief glimpse into the lives of every character's attempt to survive the otherworldly chaos around them. Released in 2001, the selected shorts span original creation dates of 1997 to 2001; most of the featured filmmakers also appear as themselves in short video interviews to talk about their inspirations, creative process and motivations while working on their individual shorts.

A Peacemaker, who rejects his final mission to save an endangered planet, is believed to be cursed when a solar storm hits his spaceship.

Japan is thrown into a panic after several ships are sunk near Odo Island. An expedition to the island led by Dr. Kyohei Yamane soon discover something far more devastating than imagined in the form of a 50 meter tall monster whom the natives call Gojira. Now the monster begins a rampage that threatens to destroy not only Japan, but the rest of the world as well.

Humans use technology to improve their lives, to forge connections, to create time that doesn’t exist, to replace real interactions. When we devise a second version of ourselves on social media, do we lose a piece of our true selves in the process? Do our digital connections threaten our real life relationships? What happens if the filtered characters we’ve imagined take on a life of their own?

Chain, starved for beauty in her desolate underground community of scavengers, appears to commit the crime of growing a flower by using scarce water. As Munk, who oversees the roulette type death punishment breathes in this world’s only flower she pauses in awe of the miracle, but the gun is loaded and the trigger is squeezed…

A man confronts his past during an experiment that attempts to find a solution to the problems of a post-apocalyptic world caused by a world war.

A man finds a strange meteorite which contains a weird green slime that causes him to melt.

After being held captive in an Afghan cave, billionaire engineer Tony Stark creates a unique weaponized suit of armor to fight evil.

Set in a dystopian future, biblical Eve has a dream that changes the trajectory of life as we know it.

A man wakes up in an endless white void, unable to remember how he got there, he soon encounters an A.I. who takes the man through old memories of himself until he realizes his tragic purpose in the white room.

Frankenstein, a young medical student, trying to create the perfect human being, instead creates a misshapen monster. Made ill by what he has done, Frankenstein is comforted by his fiancée; but on his wedding night he is visited by the monster.

Using every known means of transportation, several savants from the Geographic Society undertake a journey through the Alps to the Sun which finishes under the sea.

A group of aliens searching for a new planet on which to make home, with little success. Promotional short for Dreamworks Animation's forthcoming feature, Home.

A Twilight Zone-inspired cautionary tale about a young mother forced to come face-to-face with her deepest desire.

At the end of the 21st century, the world is plagued by a mysterious virus and unusual weather. Genius scientist Dr. Kisaragi creates an android with the code name “Cutie Honey” (Mariya Nishiuchi). The android is unique in that it possesses human emotions. To save mankind, Cutie Honey goes up against an evil organization.

A group of friends are survivors of a catastrophic virus called A6 that has wiped out most of humanity; Based upon a short story by Stephen King.

'Lost Boy' is an ambitious sci-fi concept heavily influenced by the American action classics and Japanese samurai films. It instantly captures viewers with its highly visual and unparalleled sci-fi world.

Professor Barbenfouillis and five of his colleagues from the Academy of Astronomy travel to the Moon aboard a rocket propelled by a giant cannon. Once on the lunar surface, the bold explorers face the many perils hidden in the caves of the mysterious planet.

Peter Parker is going through a major identity crisis. Burned out from being Spider-Man, he decides to shelve his superhero alter ego, which leaves the city suffering in the wake of carnage left by the evil Doc Ock. In the meantime, Parker still can't act on his feelings for Mary Jane Watson, a girl he's loved since childhood. A certain anger begins to brew in his best friend Harry Osborn as well...