An announcement from The Philip K. Dick Film Festival :

The Philip K. Dick Science Fiction Film Festival
Announces Schedule for 2015 Event

Four-Days Jam-Packed with Award-Winning and Groundbreaking
Features and Shorts
HIGHLIGHT: Mark Netter’s “Nightmare Code” Starring
“The Walking Dead’s” Andrew J. West
NYC PREMIERE: Jacob Akira Okada’s Documentary Short
“Painting The Way To The Moon”

(New York City, N.Y.) December 18, 2014 – Legend states that events come in threes — a phenomenon in its truest form for The Philip K. Dick Science Fiction Film Festival as it embarks on a third year honoring the literary world’s most nuanced and visionary author, Philip K. Dick. The highly anticipated four-day experience from January 15-18, 2015 will screen at three distinguished locations including The Cervantes Institute, Tribeca Cinemas and The Producer’s Club and features a slate of innovative features and shorts which capture the distinctive boldness of the the genre and brings forth the most riveting moments of science fiction cinema ever to grace the big screen.

The festival launches on Thursday, January 15, 2015 at The Cervantes Institute with a free-admission night of international science fiction shorts beginning at 7pm. The exciting schedule includes Martín Rosete’s Voice Over (2011, Spain), Michel Goossens’ Exit (2013, Spain/Netherlands), MacGregor and Bruno Zacarías’ Similo (2014, Spain), Daniel Romero’s No Mires Ahí (2014, Spain), Fernandez Sanchez’s Sujeto Darwin (2014, Spain), Antonio Souto Fraguas’ Renacimiento (2013, Spain), Thierry Lorenzi’s On/Off (2013, France), Didier Philippe’s Seule (2014, France), Lee Citron’s Martian American (2014, USA/Mexico) and Federico Telerman’s Albino (2014, Argentina).

The mayhem comes full force on Friday, January 16, 2015 at Tribeca Cinemas with the frighteningly entertaining and award-winning Nightmare Code (2014) at 7pm in Theater One. The starstudded film features Andrew J. West, widely known to audiences as Gareth on AMC’s mega-hit The Walking Dead, Mei Melançon (X Men: The Last Stand, The L Word) and Googy Gress (Apollo 13, Parenthood) and follows the gripping account of a start-up programmer who battles a mysterious software code that takes on a life of its own following the murderous rampage of his predecessor. The feature film is directed and produced by Mark Netter, written by Netter and M.J. Rotondi and executive produced by Craig Allen and Avi Bachar. A Q&A session with Netter is scheduled to follow.

Having premiered to critical success across the board, Jacob Akira Okada’s documentary short Painting the Way to the Moon (2013) will have its exclusive New York City premiere at 9pm in Theater One. Produced by Adam Morrow and Carylanna Taylor the film follows Princeton mathematician and artist Ed Belbruno, who discovered a new form of space travel. His “eureka” moment while working at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in the 1980s came to him while painting. The groundbreaking conjecture that satellites could use the mathematics of the chaos theory rather than rocket fuel to orbit around the moon and send experiments into space was initially rejected by NASA and he was soon fired. However, his work eventually found a home at the agency. The film examines how “art and science share a common process and explores how creative thinking is not only for artists,” according to the official film synopsis. A Q&A session with Belbruno is scheduled to follow.

A block of international science fiction short films begins at 7:30pm in Theater Two. A highlight of the evening is Room 731 (2014, USA) which stars Tim Kang, best known as Kimball Cho on CBS’ smash-hit The Mentalist. The film directed by Young Min Kim and written by Kim and Christie Cushing is a supernatural mystery along the bloodlines of The Grudge and Saw and follows an amnesiac girl who awakens in a jail-like room and is haunted by dangerous spirits. Also starring Yoojung Kim and Nikki SooHoo, the film sheds light on the traumas of the WWII-era Japanese concentration camp known as “Unit 731.” Industry professionals including Eddie Yang (co-founder, Alliance Studio), SFX makeup artist Diana Choi (The Dark Knight), Vanessa Mi Kyung Lee (The Hunger Games), editor Jimmy Gadd (The Mentalist) and executive producers Anna Liza Recto and Michael Kaleda (Bold MP) have rallied behind the project. The evening continues with Thomas Charles’ Désaffection (2013, France), Mat Owen’s Turn On (2013, UK), Winnie Cheung’s Dear Lucas (2014, USA), Laura Maxfield’s A Girl, A Cat, A Bomb (2014, USA), [followed by Room 731 in sequence], Faroukh Virani’s Vimana (2014, USA/India), Aldo Romero’s Silent Threat (2014, USA), Erin Li’s Kepler X-47 (2014, USA) and Vanessa Gould’s The Atom Bomb (2013, USA).

And just when you thought the screams had died down, three filmmakers barricade themselves in a haunted house where no one has survived past 21 Days (2014) at 9:30pm in Theater Two. The spine-chilling and multiple award-winning feature film written and directed by Kathleen Behun stars Whitney Rose Pynn (co-star of NBC’s upcoming David Duchovny series Aquarius), Max Hambleton and Mickey River. A Q&A session with Behun is scheduled to follow.

The festival continues on Saturday, January 17, 2015 at The Producer’s Club with three blocks of short films. First up are Philip K. Dick-inspired films of “Paranoia, Conspiracy and Dystopia” at 3pm including John Butler’s The Terminal Node (2014), Stephen Parkhurst’s Frontier (2014), Scott Danzig’s Sky Paradise (2013), Alessandro Bricoli’s Ignorenatus Alius (2014), Gavin Williams’ Sleepworking (2013), Anthony Willis’ Escapement (2014), Etienne Gravrand’s The Fischer Case (2014), Joachim Huveneers’ I Wish My Life (2014), Ayoub Qanir’s Artificio Conceal (2014) and William Hart and Ciaran Birks’ Serpent Dreams (2014). After the block, audience members will have the opportunity to vote for the “Best PKD Short.” Next is “Wonders, Curiosities and Oddities” at 5pm include Zac Grant and Jason Markowitz’s The Dahl House (2014), Peter LaSala and Christopher Ventura’s Except for Us (2014), Dustin Lee’s The Astronomer (2015), Michel Goossens’ Ego (2014), Edmond Deraedt and Kristin Arnesen’s Reliquary (2014) and Keaton Smith’s The Story of Christopher Jenkins (2014). “Horror and Supernatural” closes out the lineup with Andy Green’s Vomica (2014), Lauren Morrison’s Viscera (2014) and Kristen Swinkels’ Nigredo (2013).

But the night is far from over with the screening of the award-winning feature film The Perfect 46 (2014) starring Whit Hertford, Don McManus and James M. Connor. Written and directed by Brett Ryan Bonowicz, the film follows the story of a geneticist who develops a website to pair individuals of a pure genetic match in order to create the “perfect child.” Ending the night is the feature There (2014), a high-octane thriller about a socially displaced war veteran who ” justifies domestic terrorism by interpreting his actions with alien invasion.” Written and directed by prolific underground filmmaker James Fotopoulos, the film stars Xander O’Connor, Brenda Bakke and Sarah Brooks.

The festival ends on Sunday, January 18, 2015 but not before the twists and turns of Inverse (2014) at 4pm in Tribeca Cinemas’ Theater One. Written and directed by Matt Duggan, the feature film stars Josh Wingate, Luisa Beck, W.C. Boelter and John Burish in this story of eternal ruination and forbidden desire. Experience captivating shocks as a man awakens from what he perceived as death but is in fact a parallel universe all the while he falls in love with his doppelgänger’s wife and mankind is threatened with total destruction. A Q&A session with Duggan is scheduled to follow. When all is dead and done, the highly anticipated awards ceremony brings the festival to a satisfying close.

The Philip K. Dick Science Fiction Film Festival has thrilled its attendees with entertaining and visually captivating themes which have made the event a favorable and continued success. For full schedule and ticketing information please visit www.thephilipkdickfilmfestival.com. The festival will take place on January 15, 2015 at The Cervantes Institute (day is free admission) at 211 East 49th Street, New York, NY 10017 (visit nyork.cervantes.es/en/default.shtm or call 212-308-7720), January 16 and 18, 2015 at Tribeca Cinemas at 54 Varick Street, New York, NY 10013 [at Laight Street, one block below Canal Street] (visit www.tribecacinemas.com or call 212-941-2001) and January 17, 2015 at The Producer’s Club at 358 W 44th Street, New York, NY 10036 (visit www.producersclub.com or call 212-315-4743). And always be sure to visit the festival’s Twitter page at twitter.com/PhilipKDickFest (tweet the hashtag #PKDFestNYC) and the Facebook page at www.facebook.com/ThePhilipKDickFilmFestival.

About The Philip K. Dick Science Fiction Film Festival: The Philip K. Dick International Film Festival of Science, Science Fiction, Fantastic Film and the Supernatural is New York City’s first festival of its kind and is organized by individuals and filmmakers who understand the difficulties and challenges of telling a unique story in a corporate environment. With extremely successful 2012-2013 festivals, a 2013 international event in Lille, France and endless screening events the festival is only beginning its vision of honoring the legacy of the great Philip K. Dick. From guest speakers and writers who best represent the goals of the festival, original voices and enhanced visions in works submitted, this is a festival created by filmmakers for filmmakers.

About Philip K. Dick: “Reality is whatever refuses to go away when I stop believing in it.” – Philip K. Dick Philip K. Dick (1928-1982) was one of the 20th century’s most profound novelists and writers within the science fiction community. His exploration, analysis and beliefs led to the publishings of 44 novels and 121 short stories. Dick’s enormous library of works led to several film developments including Blade Runner (1982), Total Recall (1990), Minority Report (2002), Paycheck (2003) A Scanner Darkly (2006), Radio Free Albemuth (2010), The Adjustment Bureau (2011) andTotal Recall (2012). Dick’s enormously effective views comprised of fictional universes, virtual realities and human mutation foresaw an exaggerated version of the current state of government and contemporary life. Though he is gone in the physical form his philosophies live on in the techniques applied to modern stories and films and generate large displays of appreciation and understanding.

Festival Websites/Social Media
Official Website:  www.thephilipkdickfilmfestival.com
Twitter:  www.twitter.com/PhilipKDickFest
Twitter Hashtag: #PKDFestNYC
Facebook:  www.facebook.com/ThePhilipKDickFilmFestival
Meetup: www.meetup.com/The-Philip-K-Dick-science-fiction-Film-Festival/
Vimeo: vimeo.com/philipkdickfilmfestival
International Website: www.philipkdickfilmfestival-europe.com
Fractured Atlas Donation Page: www.fracturedatlas.org/site/contribute/donate/6853

The classic movie 2001: A Space Odyssey  began showing in the UK again in selected theaters in the UK last week as part of the British Film Institute‘s (BFI) program:  Sci-Fi: Days of Fear and Wonder. See also In cinemas: 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) | BFI.

Here are some articles about the movie:

•  2001: A Space Odyssey review – still visionary – The Guardian
•  2001: A Space Odyssey revisited -BBC News

Here’s the updated trailer:

Update: And here is an essay in praise of great sci-fi movies : Stephen McGinty: Outer space forces a look inside – The Scotsman

For movies like Gravity, Interstellar and 2001: A Space Odyssey aren’t just a series of stunning images but are exercises in metaphysical philosophy. They can prompt an audience to ponder what it means to be human, to examine the fragility of both ourselves and our world. Bladerunner, which is also set to enjoy a cinematic re-release, is most memorable for making the audience consider what it means to be human and to question the meaning of life through the death of an android (“Too bad she won’t live … but then again, who does?”) It used to be said that: “In space no-one can hear you scream” but this is being re-written, for today’s cinema-goers: “In space no-one can hear you think”.