DUST sci-fi shorts (that are interesting)

Books, comics, TV, music
#1

I recently discovered the DUST channel on YouTube (it’s also on a bunch of other services). Despite occasional incidental mentions here, I think it deserves its own thread. I have found a rabbit hole; hundreds of short sci-fi films! It’s like those enjoyable anthology short story books I used to read, except in video form.

It was Eli Sasich’s latest project Atropa that made me discover all this, and I can’t get enough of them. Most of them have been surprisingly great. Excellent even. A lot of them follow the short-story tradition of having a completely ambiguous ending, but the better ones are cleverer than that. I’m sure there are some poor ones in there too, but I’ve been lucky so far.

So I’ve picked a few that I’ve enjoyed below. There are hundreds, so if you find a good one, feel free to share! Most are under 10-15 minutes long, but there are a few longer ones.

Atropa - Event Horizon without the horror perhaps. An enjoyable not-so-mini-movie spilit into 7 parts, great production values and decent acting, including Michael Ironside playing his Nobody character.

The Beacon - Lots of obvious influences in this one, but it pulls it off with great production values and acting, and a very satisfying ending. Longer than the usual form, but worth it.

White Lily - Subtle but effective character piece.

The Fisherman - Atmospheric slice of Lovecraft, set in Hong Kong.

The Oceanmaker - A bright and sunny dystopia. Cool animation with a strong character and world building without dialog.

Two-bullet Solution - A deceptively simple premise with amazing fight choreography.

Seam - Worth it for the spectacle and setting, almost but not quite ruined by the dumbest, dumb shit incidental characters since Prometheus.

Ok one more…
Hyperlight - Yes, there is no sound at the start of this one, stop checking like I did! Less said about this the better. I like the way it seamlessly shifts tone.

#2

I like the interstellar lawyer one, even if it’s pretty silly conceit (basically Vogon’s destroying earth because we didn’t bother to look at the public notice posted over at Alpha Centauri).

#3

Wow thanks for posting this!.. I think… maybe I don’t need another rabbit hole :P

#4

I didn’t know about these—very cool. How’s the degree of language and graphic or sexual violence, generally?

#5

Ooo, thanks for the tip! These will be great for when we’re short on time but fancy watching something.

#6

All the ones I’ve linked would be a solid PG. There are a lot of shorts out there and perhaps there are some that go there, but it doesn’t really seem to fit the vibe they’re going for. Although I was amused to note that their most viewed short features a female character in underwear as the thumbnail. I’ve not seen that one yet.

#7

Just noticed that the creator of the Oceanmaker above is also responsible for the VR game, Walkabout Mini Golf. Love all these short films - thanks for posting!

#8

Thanks! That helps. Starting to make my way through these with my kids. Really cool collection so far.

#9

More. The quality of these is off the charts.

Alone - This one hit me right in the feels. Just amazing on every level.

Nano - This is the most watched video on DUST, presumably due to its thumbnail. Does it live up to the hype? Well it’s not as good as that last one, but it’s still impressive. Frighteningly dystopian. I love all the worldbuilding that’s done through TV news. There is some moderate sexual violence in this one, @cornchip, you have been warned.

The Big Nothing - A slightly longer one this, a space detective noir. Again, great acting and good use of limited budget here. Also, Aussie!

Caronte - Three stories gradually coalesce into one. Nicely done, plus epic space battle! Caution, a little more of the bad language! (but cleverly part of the story, if you pay attention)

#10

This seems super interesting, I put it on my pending list.