Returning for an eight exciting year, Other Worlds, one of the premier SciFi Film Festivals in the US, features some of the best and unheralded genre films. Beginning on Thursday December 2 at Austin’s Galaxy Highland 10, the four day event includes over 25 feature films, a slew of shorts, a screenwriting workshop, and the Mary Shelley Award. This year also features an additional five days of virtual events.

After skipping last years virtual only event, I gladly return to the festival for another go around

Here’s what to expect at Other Worlds 2021

Friday, December 3

4:30PM

Keeping Company

Writers: Josh Wallace, Devin Das

Stars Jacob Grodnik, Devin Das, and Ahmed Bharoocha

A fateful chain of events begins to unravel after two brash insurance salesmen go knocking on the wrong door, only to find themselves selling to a serial killer. (Also screens on Saturday, December 4 11:30PM)

The Turn of the Screw

Writer: Alex Galvin and Henry james

Stars: Greer Phillips, Jane Waddell, Ben Fransham

Julia—a last minute replacement for another actress—arrives the night before open and is thrust immediately onstage to act the lead role in an evening of terror. Cast as the governess in a stage adaptation of Henry James’ Turn of the Screw, Julia, just like her character, begins to suspect that not just the fictitious house is haunted, but also the stage where she stands.

Lingering Visions Shorts

Includes:

• Blue Fire

Nick Ronan | US | 21 min

A mysterious alien entity serves to reunite two ex-lovers and offer a new path forward, should they choose to take it.

• Evie

Alex von Hofmann | Australia | 18 min

Teen Evie lives in a post-apocalyptic frontier rife with human scavengers and genetically modified dinosaurs. When her father is injured, she must venture out alone to get the supplies to save him.

• Silver Age

Steve Makowski, Harrison Lees | US | 22 min

Does Elliot’s ailing grandfather have a secret past as a masked vigilante, or is he just senile?

• Why Is It So Warm At Christmas?

Choi Woo Gene | Korea | 27 min

Eugene is a movie star and, thanks to a freak accident, a masked superhero. There’s just one problem: his stylish costume leaves him cold in winter months. Never fear: crafty superfans to the rescue!

(Also screens on Saturday, December 4 9PM)

7PM

Homebody

Stars: Colby Minifie, Tre Ryder, Maria Dizzia

Obsessed with their babysitter, nine-year-old, gender-queer Johnny uses neuroscientific meditation to send their spirit right into her body! When Mom comes home early, Johnny escapes into the outside world as an adult woman, navigating all the particulars (clothes, make-up, horny would-be boyfriends) with all the success you might expect from any nine-year-old

Nova

Stars: Skeeta Jenkins, Anna Carvalho, Chase Pollock

On a mission to establish an outpost on Mars, Android Officer Nova finds herself caught between her human crew-mates and her own kind in the wake of erupting onboard android mutiny.

Kratt

Stars: Mari LillNora MerivooHarri Merivoo

When left at Granny’s house, the bored city-kid siblings find instructions on how to build a ‘Kratt,’ a creature formed of old household implements. The only missing ingredient is one soul.

9:30PM

Underworld Shorts

Includes:

• Between the Trees

Kelli Horan | TX | 16 min

All Darcy wants to do is honor her dad’s memory, but on a solo camping trip she finds her hands full with both a serial killer and a vengeful supernatural entity.

• Cutter

Dan Repp, Lindsay Young | TX | 16 min

A teenage cutter in recovery and her overbearing mother are haunted by a ghost who seeks to keep them at odds.

• Late Night

JJ Pollack | TX | 7 min

A late-night TV show host’s work is never done.

• Out of Body

Enrico Po | Philippines | 15 min

A young model struggles to find agency within a horror-themed photoshoot, while the mysterious client and his creepy crew drain away her sanity and self-worth.

• Prudence

R.D. Womack II | US | 5 min

Alone in her cabin during a winter storm, a woman goes outside to investigate a strange noise…

• The Relic

J.M. Logan | US | 14 min

It’s the climax of four adventurers’ search for a mythological object, and unfortunately the end of the world is barreling toward them at breakneck speed.

• Still Together

Christopher Piazza | US | 13 min

Kate’s a department store merchandiser. Leif’s a Nordic warrior spirit trapped inside a mannequin. This is a love story.

• Wich

Anthony Williams | US | 5 min

Danger exists in every corner of the house, even the forgotten one in the fridge.

Blank

Writer: Stephen Herman

Stars: Rachel Shelley, Heida Reed, Wayne Brady

Struggling author Claire Rivers signs up for a fully AI-operated retreat to help her writer’s block. When an unforeseen software glitch occurs, she gets trapped in her unit with a malfunctioning android, a degenerating host and no communication with the outside world.