Official Selections: 7th LA Sci-Fi Film Festivals
Congratulations to our accepted filmmakers!
Films are listed in alphabetical order, index to the left.
Scroll Down to learn more about each film.
Dead End
Virtual Production Short
Shot over two intense days with cutting-edge in-camera visual effects (ICVFX) in VP, Dead End is a visceral survival story set against the shifting sands of a world on the brink.
In a near-future Singapore swallowed by desert, two reluctant companions—Jax, hardened but weary, and Ben, an idealist clinging to hope—are tasked with a seemingly routine mission: deliver a mysterious package across a vast wasteland. When a brutal sandstorm derails their journey, the straightforward job spirals into a desperate struggle for survival. As the desert closes in and trust erodes, they must confront not only the dangers of the landscape, but the secrets their cargo holds.
Blending photorealistic virtual environments—endless canyons, scorched horizons, and a collapsing desert world—with grounded practical elements, Dead End pushes the possibilities of ICVFX to craft an immersive, high-stakes tale of endurance and fractured loyalty.
Director: Joel Lim
Producer: Karen Seah, Soleil Mak
Writer: Joel Lim, Karen Seah
Cast: Qi Yuwu, Andrew Lua
Cinematographer: James Hia
Editor: Melanie Foo Campbell
Awards: Asian Academy Creative Awards 2024 (National Winner: Best Short Film Scripted), Barcelona Indie Awards 2025 (Best VFX Nominee), Portland Festival of Cinema, animation & Technology 2025 (Winner: Best Sci Fi Short, Best VFX In A Short)
Website: https://www.x3dstudio.com/portfolio-collections/projects/dead-end
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/x3d_studio/
Deepheist
Four techno-activists target an AI company, desperate to halt groundbreaking technology. Little do they know, the real shock awaits them in a storage room.
Director: Glen Vivaris
Producer: Michael Villucci, Mark Jerome Cruz
Writer: Glen Vivaris
Cast: Robert Steacy, Reggie Washington, Colette Cherry, Conder Shou, Max Pheifer
Cinematographer: Glen Vivaris
Editor: Glen Vivaris
About Deepheist: Deepheist is a sci-fi action short film (low-budget parody/satire short made possible by a lot of friends, favors, and Costco food) we started 2023, and worked on during our free time. I even ended up making a lot of the props and miniatures myself. We’ve come a long way since our VFX tests. Deepheist was partially inspired by the story of Barthélemy Thimonnier, whose sewing machine invention led to his workshop being burned down by angry tailors, and the bold, theatrical visuals of 'Stop Oil' protests, which influenced the masks and yellow themes in the film. I shared the concept with friends and colleagues, and they were generous enough to lend their talents to help bring it to life. I even ended up making a lot of the props and miniatures myself. I believe certain ideas are inevitable ideas and we’re just stewards of them. (A deepfake Point Break-esque heist was definitely inevitable) I’m just glad we got to be the ones to present this iteration of it. You'll enjoy this short film if you're into Omeleto and Dust. We talked a lot about the role of “inevitable ideas” and how people choose to wield them. As we worked through the production process, it naturally sparked thoughts about technology and its risks.
Makam Maj (Where are you going?)
Short
Los Angeles Premiere
Taupp, a young cucapá woman living in the 16th century, finds out through dream visions that bind her with modern Mexico City, that she is the one chosen to preserve humanity by giving birth to the future race. In order for her to accomplish her mission, first she has to find her counterpart, Alex (who is an incredulous outcast), and make him understand that only they can save the human race from its extinction.
Director: Sofía Ptacnik Rosas
Producer: Milka Ibáñez Martinovic, Sandra Carbonell
Writer: Heriberto Mojica Peñuelas, Sofía Ptacnik Rosas
Cast: Belén Chávez, Daniel Mandoki, Patricia Rojas, Mario Galíndez “Yayo”, Jesús Meza, Joaquín L.A.
Cinematographer:Emiliano Alcázar González
Editor: Andrés Treviño Ribó