A meditative look at the imagination of a young farm boy during the infamous 1938 Orson Welles broadcast of War of The Worlds

Imagination lurks deep in Patrick Biesemans’ ‘Embers & Dust’, where he brilliantly replays the infamous 1938 historical event of Orson Welles radio broadcast of War of The Worlds – a dramatic radio show that caused mass panic as people thought it was true. Biesemans creates an imaginative narrative around the event, where a child’s curiosity and imagination thrives on the science fictional madness.

Embers & Dust is a passion project I’ve wanted to make for a long time. And for awhile now I’ve wanted to create something in the vein of a Hayao Miyazaki film; a little surreal, magical, but with very human emotions. The film is really more of a poem than anything else. That’s the beauty of short films, they can be like postcards… Short, sweet, and told in a constricted space.

In April of this year, the concept was fortunate enough to receive the top selection from the Musicbed annual film fund initiative. That’s what really set all this motion. We’re hoping to do a solid festival run, I do think it is a film that deserves the big silver screen.

We are quickly submersed in the eeriness of the 1930s mysterious otherworldly fears. The cinematography wonderfully sets the tone with an immaculate set and environment design, strongly supported by gorgeous visual effects. The attention to detail brings the production to the highest level, making it a memorable visual experience overall.