A Chance to Help SF Film Project in Progress

Writer/Director John Harden has just announced that his short film, New, will see its World Premiere in London at the end of April at the Sci-Fi London Film Festival. It looks like a great project and I’m looking forward to the release.

The film is an original, 15-minute science fiction telling the story of Hugh and Candace, an elderly couple who choose to be cryonically preserved (stored at sub-zero temperature) at the time of their deaths. They awaken, centuries later, to find their minds and memories intact and their health–and youth–restored. What unfolds is a drama, spiked with humor, as the two come to grips with the joys and challenges of a second life in the distant future.

Principal photography for NEW took place in July and August of 2013. The production was financed almost entirely by crowd-funded donations.

New is written and directed by John Harden, whose work has aired on national television and screened at festivals around the world. You can learn more and see some of his other films here. The film is produced by Little Room Media (that’s John and his wife, Sheila) in association with Don R. Lewis, who also helped cast the film. Don writes for FilmThreat.com, was co-producer of The Violent Kind, and was also one of the filmmakers behind the popular documentary Worst in Show.

With its premiere just weeks away, it seeks its final round of funding to put important finishing touches on the film, including:

• finishing visual effects
• sourcing music
• professional color grading
• final sound mix

Crowd funding means, in essence, individual donations, and opportunities (with perks) start at jsut $15. See the following pitch video and visit the film’s indiegogo site for more information about opportunities and benefits in contributing and participating in the final effort.

The film stars Jared Abrahamson in the lead role of HUGH, Joslyn Jensen as Hugh’s wife CANDACE, and Jennifer Lafleur as NOELLE, the historian and case worker tasked with easing Hugh and Candace into their new lives in the 23rd century.

It’s great to see projects like this get traction, and it’s exciting that it can be done with crowd support.