News

LOS ANGELES, Calif., Runic Films and Little Empire Productions are proud to announce that Hashtag, their prescient science fiction short film, will premiere Thursday, May 28th at 7AM PT exclusively on DUST, the premium science fiction brand. Director/co-writer Ben Alpi, star Gigi Edgely and producer Jyotika Virmani will be on hand to chat with viewers in the comments on YouTube.com/WatchDUST from 10-11AM PT.

UPDATE: Watch it right here:

Alpi says, “It is fantastic to be releasing Hashtag into the world and we are honored to be a partnering with DUST to do it. I’m dedicated to unlocking perspectives and provoking thought with my work. So, we are thrilled to be launching on DUST because their global reputation is built on that same concept of exploration. I intended Hashtag to be a conversation starter about social media and DUST is the perfect place to expand that discussion. Their audience is an amazing, vibrant community and we’re delighted to be sharing Hashtag with them and the rest of the world.”

Hashtag is a short science fiction thriller that examines a looming future where social media dominates our lives and “X” (Gigi Edgley), the supreme online celebrity, finds the true cost of her popularity. It also stars Erryn Arkin and Juliet Landau as the voice of “Te’a”.

Edgley adds, “Hashtag is very near and dear to me. Ben has put so much of himself into it, as have many others in the cast and crew, and it was so great to see it getting the recognition it deserves at film festivals. And it’s just phenomenal that now it’s going to be available on DUST for anyone to see. It was lovely to play beautiful “X”, such a complex and troubled soul, I can’t wait for more people to meet her and the world of Hashtag.”

Hashtag has been honored with 17 film festival acceptances and won the top shorts prize “Best Short Film” at Gen Con Film Fest, “Best Sci-Fi Short” at FilmQuest, “Best International Sci-Fi Short” at New Renaissance Film Fest, “Best Social Media Story” at Sydney Indie Fest, an “Honorable Mention” at Dragon Con Film festival, and has been nominated for another 14 awards. ‘Hashtag’ has screened on 4 continents at some of the most prestigious festivals including HollyShorts, LA Shorts, Comic-Con International, Sci-Fi-London, and Blue Planet Science Fiction Film Festival in Nanjing, China.

Hashtag premieres exclusively on DUST Thursday, May 28th at 7AM PT across their YouTube, Facebook, and IGTV.

A co-production of Runic Films and Little Empire Productions, Hashtag is an ambitious vision of our possible future in the tradition of classic science fiction storytelling. For more about the project, please visit https://runicfilms.com/hashtag.

ABOUT DUST
DUST presents thought-provoking science fiction content, exploring the future of humanity through the lens of science and technology. From timeless classics to cutting-edge movies, series, short films, and podcasts, DUST acquires, produces and distributes all content types.

ABOUT RUNIC FILMS
Runic Films is a Los Angeles-based film production and entertainment company developing original properties for film and television. Runic was founded in 2001 to return visual storytelling to its roots and uphold the traditions of myth and legend. Today, Runic Films harnesses cutting-edge technology and visual effects to create amazing worlds for dramatic tales grounded in humanity.

https://runicfilms.com/
@runicfilms
https://www.facebook.com/runicfilms

ABOUT LITTLE EMPIRE PRODUCTIONS
Little Empire Productions is the creative partnership of Gigi and Jake Edgley to create and promote music, comic books, and films that enlighten, intrigue, and rock your world. Spanning the Pacific between Australia and Los Angeles, Calif., Little Empire Productions mission is to create great art straight from the heart and soul.

For media inquiries, please contact:
Jyotika Virmani
Runic Films
email
Ph: 747-245-5559

###