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DYSTOPIA

2021 | 21 minutes | Italy


Dystopia is a journey through George Hellas’ hallucinated unconscious mind, populated by tormented memories, fears and drives. Sendai City, the place where he lives, is shown to us through his oneiric and horrific gaze, becoming the representation of his mind and unconscious. Voices, memories and images show us the life of George Hellas. His traumas bring him to take his own life and to be reconfigured in the body of a robot with a positronic brain that still contains memories from his human past. In a narrative loop, George Hellas’ nightmares fight with the programming of his brain, which follows Asimov’s Three Laws of Robotics. The Laws speak to him throughout the movie from the lips of a spectral geisha. In this story – in which we cannot discern between dream and reality – violence and crimes remain without an explanation. The only thing left is the geisha’s voice, resonating and repeating the obedience to the laws of robotics.


FESTIVAL National Preview: Ravenna Nightmare Film Festival, 2021

FESTIVAL National Preview: Trieste Science+Fiction Festival, 2021


Awards

Award Winner – L.A Sci-fi & Horror Festival, 2022, Agoura Hils, USA

Official Selection – McMinnville Short Film Festival, 2022, McMinnville, Oregon, USA

Official Selection – Montreal International Animation Film Festival – ANIMAZE, 2022, Montreal, Canada, USA

Award Winner – Canadian Cinematography Awards (CaCA), 2022, Toronto, Canada, USA

Finalist – Buffalo Dreams Fantastic Fillm Festival, 2022, Buffalo, NY, USA

Official Selection – Montreal International Animation Film Festival – ANIMAZE, 2022, Montreal, Canada, USA

Official Selection – Trieste Science+Fiction Festival, 2021, Trieste, ITALY

Award Winner – San Francisco Another Hole in the Head Film Festival, 2021, San Francisco, California, USA

Nominee – Rotterdam Independent Film Festivals, 2021, Online Event

Honorable Mention – Horror Fest International, 2021, St. George, Utah, USA

Official Selection – Ravenna Nightmare Film Festival, 2021, Ravenna, ITALY

Winner – AltFF Alternative Film Festival, 2020, CANADA

Category: Animation, Experimental, Short

Genres: Sci-fi, Experimental, Animation, Horror

Language: English

Format: Digital

Target: Adults


Director Marco Bolognesi

Writer Marco Bolognesi

Producer Bomar Studio

Executive Producer Barbara Di Micco

Production Supervisor Giusi Santoro

Preproduction and Development Raffaello Rossini

Sound Design 7 Floor S.a.S.

Music Riccardo Nanni

MORE CREDITS

Female Voices Susanna La Polla De Giovanni, Fabiola Ricci
2D Animation and VFX Pasquale D’Amico
Sound Design Riccardo Nanni, Lorenzo Confetta
Sound Mixing Riccardo Nanni, Daniele Bagnoli, Bagnoli Bross
Titles Monica Piazza
Color Design Undervilla Productions
Graphics Marco Lombardo

Dystopia is a journey through George Hellas’ hallucinated unconscious mind, populated by tormented memories, fears and drives. Sendai City, the place where he lives, is shown to us through his oneiric and horrific gaze, becoming the representation of his mind and unconscious. Voices, memories and images show us the life of George Hellas. His traumas bring him to take his own life and to be reconfigured in the body of a robot with a positronic brain that still contains memories from his human past. In a narrative loop, George Hellas’ nightmares fight with the programming of his brain, which follows Asimov’s Three Laws of Robotics. The Laws speak to him throughout the movie from the lips of a spectral geisha. In this story – in which we cannot discern between dream and reality – violence and crimes remain without an explanation. The only thing left is the geisha’s voice, resonating and repeating the obedience to the laws of robotics.


FESTIVAL National Preview: Ravenna Nightmare Film Festival, 2021

FESTIVAL National Preview: Trieste Science+Fiction Festival, 2021


Awards

Award Winner – L.A Sci-fi & Horror Festival, 2022, Agoura Hils, USA

Official Selection – McMinnville Short Film Festival, 2022, McMinnville, Oregon, USA

Official Selection – Montreal International Animation Film Festival – ANIMAZE, 2022, Montreal, Canada, USA

Award Winner – Canadian Cinematography Awards (CaCA), 2022, Toronto, Canada, USA

Finalist – Buffalo Dreams Fantastic Fillm Festival, 2022, Buffalo, NY, USA

Official Selection – Montreal International Animation Film Festival – ANIMAZE, 2022, Montreal, Canada, USA

Official Selection – Trieste Science+Fiction Festival, 2021, Trieste, ITALY

Award Winner – San Francisco Another Hole in the Head Film Festival, 2021, San Francisco, California, USA

Nominee – Rotterdam Independent Film Festivals, 2021, Online Event

Honorable Mention – Horror Fest International, 2021, St. George, Utah, USA

Official Selection – Ravenna Nightmare Film Festival, 2021, Ravenna, ITALY

Winner – AltFF Alternative Film Festival, 2020, CANADA

Category: Animation, Experimental, Short

Genres: Sci-fi, Experimental, Animation, Horror

Language: English

Format: Digital

Target: Adults


Director Marco Bolognesi

Writer Marco Bolognesi

Producer Bomar Studio

Executive Producer Barbara Di Micco

Production Supervisor Giusi Santoro

Preproduction and Development Raffaello Rossini

Sound Design 7 Floor S.a.S.

Music Riccardo Nanni

MORE CREDITS

Female Voices Susanna La Polla De Giovanni, Fabiola Ricci
2D Animation and VFX Pasquale D’Amico
Sound Design Riccardo Nanni, Lorenzo Confetta
Sound Mixing Riccardo Nanni, Daniele Bagnoli, Bagnoli Bross
Titles Monica Piazza
Color Design Undervilla Productions
Graphics Marco Lombardo