Gunpowder & Sky’s sci-fi label DUST announced today that they are partnering with YOMYOMF to host a sci-fi short film competition, giving student filmmakers a chance to work with DUST executives and develop their shorts into a show bible or feature film outline.
Filmmakers participating in the competition are asked to incorporate one of three DUST-selected quotes from H.G. Wells’ iconic novel, “The Time Machine,” credited with popularizing the concept of time travel. The quote must be said aloud in the short film to be considered for the competition, which will result in very different (and distinct) presentations of the material. Contestants are to submit their short to watchdust.com/competition starting on June 1, 2019, and will be accepted through the summer, ending July 31. DUST will narrow down the submissions to the final five short films. The winner will then be chosen by the YOMYOMF team.
“These students are the future of the film industry, and all of us at DUST are extremely passionate about discovering filmmakers with fearless voices and thought-provoking visions of the future ,” said Eric Bromberg, GM of DUST. “We’re thrilled to partner with YOMYOMF to give emerging artists a chance to get their work in front of our global audience.”
COMPETITION OVERVIEW
Filmmakers should submit an original sci-fi short film using one of the three quotes from “The Time Machine” provided by DUST and YOMYOMF — All compliant submissions that verbally state one of the official quotes will be considered.
Submissions must have a total run time of between one minute and three minutes.
Submissions will be accepted starting on June 1, 2019, and will be accepted through the summer, ending July 31st.
All filmmakers based in the U.S. are eligible for submission.
YOMYOMF will select the “winning” sci-fi short film based on established criteria of judging.
“Over the years, we’ve met many young content creators who have the talent, but lack opportunity,” said Philip W. Chung, YOMYOMF’s Creative Director. “This is especially true for filmmakers of color, women, LGBTQ and others who feel excluded from tackling a genre like sci-fi. We’re excited to partner once again with Gunpowder & Sky’s DUST to provide everyone with that shot.”
Additionally, DUST announced today that they will re-release YOMYOMF’s “Dr0ne”, the four-part sci-fi series directed by Robert Glickert, co-written by Glickert and Daniel Casey (Fast & Furious 9) and executive produced by Justin Lin. The first episode will air on May 13th, with a new episode airing every day, across all DUST channels.
Starring Kenneth Choi (Captain America: The First Avenger, ‘9-1-1’) and Lance Reddick (“The Wire”, “Fringe”), each 10-minute episode is set in the near future, where war drone technology has advanced and a new weapon has been unleashed – a humanoid drone stronger and faster than any soldier. But in the aftermath of a mysterious incident, damaged battle drone 237 is forced to go on the run with it’s programmer to try and take down their corrupt commander.
This is the second collaboration between Gunpowder & Sky and YOMYOMF. Last November, Gunpowder & Sky announced that they have partnered with YOMYOMF to develop the LGBTQ-focused horror film, Moonshadow, which will be directed by award-winning filmmaker Silas Howard (A Kid Like Jake, “Pose”, “Transparent”).
ABOUT DUST
DUST, a division of global content studio Gunpowder & Sky, is the first premium sci-fi entertainment brand that reaches fans across all platforms, giving voice to emerging and established filmmakers.
DUST presents thought-provoking science fiction content, exploring the future of humanity through the lens of science and technology. From timeless to cutting-edge movies, series and short films, DUST acquires, produces and distributes content from established and emerging filmmaking voices.
DUST most recently premiered the Zach Strauss directed short film Bad Peter at Tribeca – a cautionary tale about an overbearing AI assistant – starring Golden-Globe nominee Frankie Shaw (“SMILF”) and acquired PROSPECT which premiered at SXSW Film Festival 2018 starring Pedro Pascal (Narcos, Game of Thrones, Equalizer 2.
With more than 4M fans, DUST operates its own channels that are available on multiple platforms including YouTube, Facebook, VRV, Pluto and Xumo. Through its partnership with USC’s School of Cinematic Arts, DUST recently premiered the George Lucas 1967 short film, “Electronic Labyrinth: THX 1138 4EB”, followed by legendary filmmaker Robert Zemeckis’ 1972 student short film “The Lift”.
DUST also hosts podcasts and special events such as “The Future Is Female” screening that celebrates female sci-fi directors in film, as well as ‘Represent: Diversity in Sci-Fi’, a panel celebrating and examining multicultural voices in the sci-fi genre.
On August 18th, 2018, DUST launched DUSTx on Roku, a new sci-fi channel featuring timeless movies such as A Scanner Darkly, Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure and Paycheck and series such as Mystery Science Theater 3000, Ray Bradbury’s Science Theater and Beyond Westworld, as well as 500+ short films by the talent of tomorrow, including Rise, Jonah, and Automata.
ABOUT YOMYOMF
YOMYOMF is an award winning digital production company founded by director Justin Lin (“Better Luck Tomorrow,” “Star Trek Beyond,” The Fast & Furious franchise) dedicated to telling stories from Asian Pacific American and other underrepresented voices. In 2012, YOMYOMF launched its YOMYOMF Network in conjunction with several Asian American digital influencers as part of YouTube’s Original Channels program. YOMYOMF started the Interpretations Film Initiative through its nonprofit, YOMYOMF Foundation, to support Asian American filmmakers partnering with Comcast/NBCUniversal on its latest iteration, produced Google’s first 360 VR film Help (directed by Justin Lin), is currently in post-production on the Warner Bros/Stage 13 unscripted Asian food series Family Style, and is producing the trans-centric horror feature “Moonshadow” this summer with Gunpowder & Sky.
ABOUT GUNPOWDER & SKY
Gunpowder & Sky is an award-winning independent global studio, dedicated to creating, marketing and distributing video content unrestricted by form, genre or platform. Gunpowder & Sky collaborates with both emerging and established talent to generate premium video content ranging from 90-second to 90-minute stories on all platforms. With in-house development, production, marketing and distribution capabilities, the company operates as a full 360-studio and oversees a library of more than 1500 titles.
In 2018, Gunpowder & Sky released 15 films including Brett Haley’s (I’ll See You In My Dreams, The Hero) critically acclaimed feature, Hearts Beat Loud, and Summer of 84 from award-winning directors RKSS – both premiered at the Sundance Film Festival. Gunpowder & Sky also debuted Cam on Netflix, winner of Best First Feature and Best Screenplay at Fantasia Festival. The company also produced “Too Stupid To Die”, MTV’s next generation stunt series.
Gunpowder & Sky is also committed to building modern entertainment brands that super-serve global audiences in key genres. Each brand creates, distributes and markets compelling short films, series and feature films across theatrical, TVOD, traditional networks and new platforms such as Roku, YouTube, Facebook, Twitch, DirectTV and Samsung. DUST is the first premium sci-fi entertainment brand that reaches passionate fans across all platforms, giving voice to emerging, diverse and established filmmakers. In 2018, DUST theatrically released its first feature film, the sci-fi western Prospect (starring Pedro Pascal and Jay Duplass), winner of SXSW’s Adam Yauch Hörnblowér Award, and also debuted “Glimpse”, an original series on Facebook Watch. Gunpowder & Sky’s newest brand, Alter focuses on horror films and series which explore the human condition through warped perspectives from the most innovative minds in the genre. Also, the company remains invested in CUT, a viral content pioneer and leader with multiple hit franchises and content brands.
Headquartered in Los Angeles, with offices in NY and London, Gunpowder & Sky was founded by Van Toffler and Floris Bauer, in partnership with The Chernin Group and AT&T
