“BEWARE WHAT CASTS THE SHADOW CALLED OUTER SPACE”
Here’s a great Lovecraftian cosmic sci-fi horror short film for you to watch titled Wakener, and it takes you into a realm where cosmic horror meets visionary storytelling.
Wakener is “a Sci-Fi Horror film that follows a broken and haunted ship technician and a young, honorable military officer. Their paths collide when a ghost ship powered by tech outlawed centuries ago mysteriously appears at Point Station.
“The station’s chief officer orders the ship secretly investigated for nefarious reasons. As a result, the Technician and Officer are compelled to fulfill an ancient and catastrophic destiny.”
The film, from writer and director Anthony Ferraro pays homage to the enigmatic world of H.P. Lovecraft.
This short is shared in collaboration with the FilmQuest Film Festival, where we are looking to expose some of the radical indie genre films and shorts that filmmakers are creating.
I also included an interview with the director that you can read below!
What was the inspiration for your film? How did you come up with the idea?
The production, design & budget, not the story, is a proof of concept for a Sci-Fi feature of mine.
Tell us about yourself. What is your background? How long have you been a filmmaker?
25 years
What inspires you to work within genre cinema and tell these kind of stories?
I am interested in storytelling, and in cinema, sci-fi, and fantasy are how I frame my stories.
What was your favorite part of the filmmaking process for this project?
I was working on a soundstage with multiple active sets that were the entire world of my film.
What are you most proud of with this film?
The look.
What is a favorite story or moment from the making of the film you’d like to share?
The nuclear engine was supposed to be a 3D shot. However, due to 3D work delays, I made the engine a physical object half scale, and we filmed it practically.
What was your most challenging moment or experience you had while making your film?
Raising money—always the biggest challenge.
If it did, how did your film change or differ from its original concept during pre-production, production, and/or post-production? How has this changed how you’ll approach future projects as a result?
Each film evolves uniquely throughout pre-production, production, and post-production, reinforcing my understanding that each project is its own organism. This process has made me more comfortable and confident with each endeavor.
Who were some of your collaborators and actors on the film? How did you start working with each other?
“My DP, Jon Schweigart, has been a key collaborator across three projects. The main supporting actress and I worked together for the first time, while the rest of the crew and cast are longtime collaborators—I liken it to forming a band.
What is the best advice you’ve ever received as a filmmaker and what would you like to say to new filmmakers?
The best advice I received was straightforward: ‘Don’t do it, it’s not worth it.’ This isn’t sarcasm or humor; it’s a sobering reality check.
What are your plans for your career and what do you hope this film does for it? What kind of stories would you like to tell moving forward?
I’m fully committed to my filmmaking career, embracing the ‘die trying’ mentality, especially as I confront the reality of that equation—I’m no spring chicken. I’m interested in core stories that delve into overcoming adversity, unrequited love, success, and failure—all of life’s challenges. I’m always exploring these themes within the realms of sci-fi, fantasy, and maybe one day, if I’m lucky, the Western genre.
What is your next project and when can we expect to see it?
Currently, I’m pitching three feature projects and I’m in pre-production on another sci-fi short called “Starfisher.” It’s a Moby Dick / The Old Man and the Sea inspired sci-fi short. See above mentioned ” ‘die trying’ mentality” for the reason I’m making this next.
Where can we find more of your work and where can interested parties contact you? Do you have a website or YouTube/Vimeo channel?
You can find all my films and DIY how-to videos on my YouTube channel, Create Sci-Fi: Create Sci-Fi YouTube Channel. Interested parties can contact me through my channel. https://www.youtube.com/c/createscifi
Bonus Question #1: What is your all-time favorite film?
“The Outlaw Josey Wales.”
Bonus Question #2: What is the film that most inspired you to become a filmmaker and/or had the most influence on your work?
It was a series of films by “Dogme 95”. The 1995 avant-garde filmmaking movement founded by the Danish directors Lars von Trier and Thomas Vinterberg,
