Refuge

Director: Mohammad Gorjestani

The production value of this short caught me way off guard. The filmmakers had access to public court rooms and even a bus. They also had a very obvious VFX budget, and their vision of the future (only 10 years from now) was awesome. Very simple things like transparent displays throughout public spaces made you feel like this was a familiar yet very foreign place.

The story focuses on a young Iranian woman who has fled her homeland. The department of Home Land Security is conducting a cyber terrorism evaluation of recent immigrants, and she is of course a target. Her only way out is to participate in what equates to genetic experiments on new borns.

It’s a very simple and compelling flick that is sure to be recognized.