Sci-Fi Short Film 'What Once Was' | DUST | Flashback Friday

An interstellar mission crash lands on an abandoned earth now devoid of life and water. In a race against time and resources they must not only survive the elements but face what once was.

Survival is only the beginning.

"What Once Was" by Sean G. Penberthy

More About "What Once Was":
A century after Earth was abandoned, a returning salvage mission crashes on the planet and maroons the surviving astronauts in a wasteland, devoid of life and water. In a race against time and resources, the remaining crew must search for a deserted launch facility and soon discover that their greatest threat isn’t the environment, but each other.

A message from the filmmaker:
The idea came from the challenge of telling the story about a broken family and how each of them is dealing with the pieces that are left. On top of that I wanted the story to be based in the science fiction world, but also not rely on visual effects and keep as much of it as possible, practical. The idea is to throw the audience into a world that was familiar but also something empty, stark and alien at the same time; something that would reflect the family’s current emotional state. I wanted to build a world that was much larger and felt deeper than the time we were confined to. There’s definitely a story before where we pick up and there is certainly one after we leave our characters, but I wanted to focus on the crux, the turning point where it all goes awry. That’s where the interest lies, that’s where the emotions boil over. The film gives a glimpse into this world and touches on the depth of their emotions, sending us on a journey that proves that the past often dictates the future, and knowing who to trust isn’t always as clear as it seems.

More about the filmmaker:
Writer, Director and Producer Sean Gregory Penberthy grew up in suburban Michigan where he attended various Art Schools and learned to hone his skills in Painting and Sculpting.

At 22 he joined the Military and served as a MARSOC Marine through wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Upon his return, he concluded his education and graduated from California State University, Northridge School of Film & Television Arts with a degree in Cinematography. He found his first production jobs working for visual effects houses Method Studios and Company 3 employed as a digital artist on such films as “Pirates of the Caribbean, On Stranger Tides,” “The Tree of Life” and “Let Me In”.

Having learned the foundations and importance of detail in high-budget filmmaking, Sean began creating his own content by writing and shooting commercials and music videos for local businesses and musicians. With limited funding, he was forced to refine his skills in all aspects of filmmaking serving as his own Writer, Cinematographer, Editor and Visual Effects Artist. His first directorial hit was a music video “The Edge of Glory,” a story about equal rights that received international acclaim and more than 20 million views.

Branching out, Sean moved on to work as a Producer and Editor in network television helping to create shows for National Geographic, TLC and Discovery. Recently he completed the short film; “What Once Was” having won Best Director, Best Screenplay and Best Picture on the festival circuit. He is currently in production on the short film “Lost Archipelago” and a yet to be titled feature film, due out in 2020.

#DUST #scifi #shortfilm

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[benninger]

My thoughts are that any short movie that makes a person think or reflect on life or certain aspects of your life is a winner to me . I love things like this that just kinda makes a person emotional . I give it the thumbs up .

[DJ-pgmg]

That vinyl cushioned 1960's era chair at the end... been looking for one of those for a long time. It's worth coming back to earth just for that chair...

[scottmccauslin]

Not all scifi needs to have high action content. Thought provoking and leaving you wanting more. WELL done!

[cinemartin]

A well-filmed story whose message can be interpreted in different ways. Probably it’s about the fact that you need to value your loved ones, because grievances are forgiven and time can’t be returned. But the transience of time should serve as a reason to value your loved ones more, and not to deceive yourself. That woman didn't want to face the truth, which is why everyone ended up getting hurt. Although maybe I got it all wrong, in any case, I think I'm smart enough to distinguish noteworthy work from nonsense, and this story definitely deserves attention. 👌

[johnh]

With all of these eloquent reviews, I feel that I must append: "Bummer dude, looks like you're hosed".

[evansaunders]

Woow excellent story, I hope this adventure is continued.

[lumenr]

I was left wanting more. Well done. And I’d also say that the talent was an even spread.
🤘🏼❤️🤘🏼

[TheRealSkeletor]

Definitely a case of style over substance. The visual directing was superb, and the acting was really good (unlike many of these sci-fi shorts), but the story itself was lacking, depressing at best to completely void of any direction or meaning.

[NWTejas]

So robot kids sabotages mission, kills everyone, except 3. Then they perish. Great story bro... Nice development, but I think you forgot to write an ending or present a point.

[shawnerz]

Wow! This one got me. Excellently done!

[PritishA]

Peace and Lots of Love from Mumbai India ❤️💯👌✨

[georgepollastri]

I love this little movie, it is so very sad. I was so sad watching this movie, but I love this movie, brings back some very sad memories - I just can't stop
Thank You So Much....
Very Much Enjoyed
Now the 3rd time

[grammybear]

🐼 Big Panda Bear Hugs from a 70 yr old grandma in Texas, USA and by the way l'm subscribed and l hit Like. 🐼 ❤

[leroyj]

Dang. Sad, but a great movie! There musn't necessarily be a 'happy ending[' to have a great movie. Thank you, DUST!

[mnbv]

Excellent, Dust 4 Hollywood 0...As always.

[Theoriginalsparkythemagicpiano]

Started out well but turned out to be very disappointing and just ‘meh’

[shanemcknight]

Great analogy of suffering and survival in the midst of adversity.

[stevehoffman]

If you need a paragraph of text to explain the story then you haven't made a film that tells us a story. Thus, the film is incomplete and doesn't work as intended.

[daniel_wilkinson]

Funny thing I've learned about the human body: it goes through X amount of water per hour no matter what you do. Conserving or rationing drinking water does nothing to slow this down.

[jaynewman]

It was very sad, but I had hope in the end. I was expecting the woman would be revieled as a robot, too. In other words, something for him to mourn with.