Short sci-fi films by iShorts
What if your best friend arrived in a cardboard box? What if artificial intelligence could create a better version of you? And what could go wrong when technology starts to understand our desires a little too well? iShorts returns to Future Gate with a selection of short sci-fi films that serve up the future in small but highly concentrated doses. Expect robots, artificial intelligence, strange technologies, dark humour, and worlds only a few steps removed from our own. Because sometimes you don’t need two hours for great sci-fi. All it takes is one brilliant idea.
Selected films
My Only Friend Is a Robot Named Beans
Director: Anika Kan Grevstad | Producers: Chris Bauer, Anika Kan Grevstad, Corrina Leatherwood, Skye Mahaffie | Cast: Danielle Young, A.B. Allen, Jasmin Carina | 2026 | 13 min
Ruby finds her lonesome routines disrupted when she makes an unlikely new friend: a mail-order robot.
The Lord of All Future Space & Time
Director: Chris Paul Russell | Producers: Dana Guerin, Joy Sirott Hurwitz, Cindi Rice, Karl Stelter | Cast: Roy Williams Jr., Mark Benninghoffen, Ray Buffer | 2025 | 26 min | USA
The Lord of All Future Space and Time is a classic western tale of revenge interrupted by sci-fi hijinks. Purposefully and joyfully heavy on narration – in the style of early Coen Brothers or somewhere between Goodfellas and Amelie – it’s a tall tale in a short film, a fast-paced comedy asking the big questions about time, grief, love and the meaning of life itself.
Bisected
Director: Danny Pineros | Producer: Mateo Vergara | Cast: Natalie Polisson, J.C. Smith, Robin Zamora | 2024 | 8 min | USA
A couple witnesses a paranormal event that separates them into two distinct dimensions.
Planet
Director: Jason Carman | Producers: Maxie Harrington, Jason Carman, Jim O’Shaughnessy | Cast: Stephen R. Miller, Alexander Platt, Ian S. Peterson | 2025 | 38 min | USA
Planet tells the story of a man who dreams of building an artificial planet from the ground up, asking the question, “Is the sacrifice required to create something truly great worth it in the end?”
The Most Perfect Perfect Person
Director: Paul Trillo | Producers: Justin Lacob, Bryn Mooser, Poppy, Edward Saatchi | Cast: Ryan Barrier, Jack Mayer, Poppy | 2024 | 18 min
Under the pressures of fame and parasocial demands, pop star Poppy relinquishes control to Aura, an AI clone trained on her past content. As Aura begins dictating her every word and action, Poppy battles to reclaim her autonomy.