Neil Blomkamp, the director of the acclaimed science fiction film "District 9," has released his latest short film, the animated "Adam: The Mirror."
The film features an android who along with many others of the same design was freed by the enigmatic Needalus from their prison. The androids are now being offered a choice of discovering what their previous identities were.
The story is a proof-of-concept project that raises interesting questions about humanity and morality in the context of science fiction. The project was created with Unity Technologies, the company behind the video game engine Unity. It is the sequel to the "Adam" short film that the company created last year.
The company started working on the first "Adam" short film four years ago, after anticipating that elements of video game and film would soon merge. Due to this, the company made the Unity engine and its editor compatible with film technology.
Unity usually allows teams to work on projects to try out the capabilities of its graphics engine. While most teams move on to different projects, the original "Adam" short received a strong positive response that Unity approached Blomkamp for a sequel.
Earlier this year, Blomkamp launched his new Oats Studios, an initiative that seeks to create science fiction short films as proof-of-concept to determine their potential for a transition to big screen projects.
The director wanted to develop ideas outside the usual Hollywood process in order to deliver content directly to the audience. Oats Studios shorts explore a number of unique ideas, all of which are rooted in science fiction.
The studio has released a few short films, including "Rakka," a film starring Sigourney Weaver that depicts life on earth after a superior alien race arrived and enslaved humanity. His next short, "Firebase," is a story about how soldiers during the Vietnam War encountered a fantastical "river god," who possesses mysterious and mind-boggling powers. The third one starred Dakota Fanning in a thriller featuring a horrendous multi-limbed monster.
