When the final Citizen of Earth’s interplanetary research and diplomacy program finally makes first contact, he’s forced to not only protect humanity, but that which makes him human: love

Ambition comes strong in Justin Giddings and Ryan Welsh’s science-fiction short ‘Outpost’. Different in many ways from their first short ‘This Is Normal‘, this one goes interplanetary after humans have discovered new life. At the edge of our galaxy, the last member of a special class of intergalactic diplomats called Citizens works side by side with his android companion in an effort to find intelligent life. Over their tenure on the outpost they’ve fallen in love. But before they can confess their feelings and embrace their taboo relationship, a mysterious space phenomenon known as the Beyond begins rushing towards them. Unsure of whether or not the Beyond is a threat, Citizen Gordon must choose between his mission and his heart…

Director’s Note on Outpost

This movie is an exploration of love in a society that doesn’t accept it. When the stakes get astronomically high (pun intended), the societal restrictions melt away. We wanted to make something ambitious that seemed impossible. Only our second film, it was a chance to push ourselves while we still had just enough naivete about how making movies works. We were able to convince the lead VFX artist from films like PROMETHEUS and HARRY POTTER to come on board and when one of the department heads ended up costing us $20,000 in unnecessary fees, our VFX guy totally saved our butts!

With a limited setting and cast, the team pulled off a larger-than-life storyline to protect humanity. But within that life threatening setting, there is an overshadowing relationship unfolding. Lead by Ryan Welsh and Ryann Turner (whom also starred in ‘This Is Normal’), they take human/AI relationship to an interstellar level. Different from most AI humanoids we in Hollywood films, Ryann’s character A.R.I.A. stands strong beside her human citizen showcasing compassion and support throughout. Stick around for the post credits for a little surprise.