Small Budget Films Track

The ongoing renaissance in fan films and small-budget productions continues to deliver impressive new works of science fiction and fantasy. This year, we’re focusing on showcasing videos from a wide range of fictional storylines, while connecting fans with four different production groups.

Are you looking to submit a film for our next Shore Leave convention? Use the Small Budget Film Track Submission Form!

Shore Leave 44 (2024) Films

Sleeping Dragon — a Star Trek fan production

Brought to us by Randy Landers, of Potempkin Pictures Doctor Sarah Perry, a renowned scientist, has rendezvoused with the Starship Deimos with a dire warning: The entire galaxy is endangered by a large magnetar on a collision course with the galactic core. As they agree on a means of destroying the magnetar, Captain Harper watches in dismay as the plan is on the verge of falling apart. Can he and his officers succeed when success comes at such a high price? (25 Mins)

Cerritos, Lost – A Star Trek Fan Production

Brought to you by Trek Shorts, which is proud to present Marie-Louise Svaleng’s first film as the lead and the worlds first Star Trek fan film to take place on the USS Cerritos from Lower Decks!
Dr Louise Nilson, a Lanthanite documentarian at Memory Alpha is trying to do her job, interview and gather facts…when a sentient AI construct steals the Cerritos and her aboard. Its plans are…more than meet the eye and Dr Nilson must deal with this unusual situation in her own ways. (15 Mins)

When Duty Calls: A Star Trek Fan Film Production 

Filmed in the Kingsland, Georgia studios of The Neutral Zone

What happens when two fans show up at a Neutral Zone Studios fan weekend dressed as characters from Star Trek: Discovery? You cast them in a fan film — a Star Trek Fan Film crossover made to answer the question: What happens when a disabled TOS starship is assisted by crew from the Discovery? (13 Mins)

Back to Yesterday – A Star Trek Fan Production 

From Power543 Fan Films, supported by the Trek Shorts Patreon

This delightful short video guest stars Nick Cook, an old Scottish friend who also guest starred on Star Trek: New Voyages and has his own fan film series – Star Trek: Intrepid.
Trek Shorts is proud to present Nick Cook’s next film and the first canonical appearance of his captaincy on the USS Dauntless. Captain Daniel Hunter, while studying T’kon ruins, uncovers more than be bargained for and as such is sent backwards in time. How can he return home? How does he keep the timeline free of alterations? What will he learn and who will he meet? (10 Mins)

The Holy Core – A Star Trek Fan Production (Parts I & II)

From FPSD – a TNG Era Fan film
The crew of a Federation Starship assist the deeply religious Vitans with restoration of their atmosphere, polluted during centuries of war. Events soon take an unexpected turn, however, and the crew must rely on their courage and principles to prevent disaster. (31 Mins)

Commanders of Starfleet: A Star Trek Fan Production

This film follows two Starfleet officers’ adventures during the Earth-Romulan War. This 6 minute film consists of four scenes.
This kinda/sorta Star Trek piece is really worth watching. Done in the style of late 40s/early 50s B-movies, Jeff Nord’s Commanders of Star Fleet took the Best Short Trek Fan Film in Trekzone’s Fan Film Awards. In a short four scene piece, he sets up all the basics of a story with a few Star Trek elements and just the right amount of camp and style.
(6 Mins)

Hyperlight 

From Nguyen-Anh Nguyen of Dust Studios. DUST presents thought-provoking science fiction content, exploring the future of humanity through the lens of science and technology.
Two elite astronauts wake up in the abyss of space; they return to their stranded ship and discover the surprising reason behind their mission's catastrophic failure. Their solution to the situation they find themselves in is both alarming and thought-provoking.
(17 Mins)

Oceanus, Act 1 

From Jeffrey Morris of Dust Studios. This small budget film stars Sharif Atkins, Bruce Davison, and Megan Dodds, all professional actors.
Act 1 was made in 2015. Seems like a good intro. However, better editing could pick up the pace and improve it. With more budget and more script material, I expect they would do so. The script presents interesting ideas and begs for more. The plans were clearly to make more. I wonder what happened?
In the year 2029, a marine biologist and her aquatic engineer husband fight to survive after a global
cataclysm strikes, separating them from their spectacular underwater habitat. (32 Mins)

ACHERON – An Alien Fan Film

A RollinBoy film It has been over 30 years since the Hadley's Hope incident. Hidden on the moon known as Acheron (LV-426) something has grown in the darkness. (25 Mins)

No Man’s Land – Alien Fan Film

A Kennedyboy Production – Christian Kennedy owns and runs Kennedy Productions in Perth, AU. Kennedyboy Productions is a professional outfit that creates entertaining & cinematic films, commercials, documentary and promotional videos.
No Man’s Land is Battlefield 1 meets Aliens. An outfit of Imperial soldiers fighting brutal trench warfare in a desolate WW1 Battlefield find themselves up against an enemy not from their world.
(25 Mins)

Star Wars: Brightstar – A Star Wars fan Film

Raphaël Hébert and Brent Radford of Archangel Epics
A long time ago in a galaxy far far away, a fugitive family living in peace must brace itself when their past has tracked them down.
(21 Mins)

Vader: Pull to the Light – A Star Wars Fan Film

From Holden and Jen Hardman
Set between the events of ESB and ROTJ, The Empire is in pursuit of Luke Skywalker, prompting Darth Vader to personally oversee the investigation. On the surface of a nearby planet, the Sith Lord discovers an ancient temple while pursuing rebels. The temple, strong in the Light Side of the Force, is the scene of his ongoing conflict and confrontation with light side forces.
 (21 Mins)

Wingman – An X-Wing Story | Star Wars Fan Film

From Michael’s Basement (yes, really)
Lock S-foils in attack position and enjoy 50 minutes of Star Wars meets Topgun! A rebel fighter squadron attacks an imperial transport. The new guy carries a heavy load and an ace pilot on a killing spree.…
(50 Mins)

Star Wars Origins – A Star Wars fan film

From the Philm Company (philm.co.uk)
Indiana Jones meets Star Wars in this award-winning fan film that Mark Hammil called “an epic masterpiece!”
(22 Mins)

THE LOST RELIC – A Star Wars Story

A third Gate Production
A story within a story. Outside story – curating the Star Wars film vault. Inside story: Adventure!
(14 Mins)

Bucketheads: A STAR WARS Story

A 2018 Fan Film from Transmute pictures

A Star Wars short story from the Stormtrooper’s perspective, and an interesting one – it reminds us that Star Wars is a civil war story. (14 Mins)

Hillywood Good Omens Parody

The Antichrist is coming, which means Aziraphale, an Angel, and Crowley, a Demon, must find a way to end Armageddon. The Hillywood Show® brings you a glorious parody, filled with ineffable surprises! Can we get a wahoo?
Featuring fan favorite moments, screen accurate costume/sets and surprise cameos (NEIL GAIMAN, DANIEL MAYS, MAGGIE SERVICE and even, the screen-used Bentley from S1), this parody, based on the best-selling novel by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman, brings about the excitement of Amazon Prime Video’s I season 2!
(13 Mins)

The Lord Of The Rings: Parody: Let it Go

Follow the hobbits, Frodo Baggins and Samwise Gamgee, on their journey to destroy The One Ring in the fires of Mount Doom. Through the eyes of Samwise the brave, The Hillywood Show® brings you a magical tribute to Peter Jackson's memorable trilogy in an unforgettable, precious way. Once it's taken a hold of you, you'll never want to let it go. This is One Parody to rule them all. (7 Mins)

Hillywood Doctor Who Parody

It’s the DOCTOR WHO musical parody you’ve been waiting for! Join The Tenth Doctor in an eye-catching parody, with a basket full of easter eggs! People assume that a parody is a strict progression of cause to effect, but actually, from a non-linear, non-subjective viewpoint, it’s more like a big video of wibbly-wobbly, Time Warp stuff. Like the TARDIS, The Hillywood Show® makes a production that’s bigger on the inside and showcases David Tennant's beloved Doctor in a memorable way. Allons-y! (7 Mins)

Asternauts

Life is pretty dull for small-town farmer Earl McKnutt and his childlike brother Joel: Wake up, feed the cows, and sit on the porch until it’s time to turn in. That is until one night a mysterious object from outer space crash-lands in their pasture killing their best bull and milking cow… (17 Mins)

FOR THE EMPIRE: SEASON ONE – A Star Wars parody

AFK pictures – created with Unreal Engine 5
This is a supercut of the first 5 episodes of For the Empire. It contains a series of comedy sketches. The humor is somewhat uneven, but the best are worth the wait.
(28 Mins)

FOR THE EMPIRE: SEASON TWO – A Star Wars parody

AFK pictures – created with Unreal Engine 5
This is a supercut of the the season 2 .
(55 Mins)

HISS – Sci-Fi Comedy Short

Sneaky Zebra productions
This video was entered into the 2014 London 48 hour film challenge, in which contestants were given a title, an action and a line of dialogue, and then had 48 hours to hand back a completed short film. The title was “Hiss,” the Prop/Action was a character writing graffiti on a wall with chalk, and the dialogue had to contain ‘They treat us like dogs, but we ain’t
quite the dogs they think we are”
 (5 Mins)

U.F.Oh Yeah (Sci-fi/Comedy short film)

Spectacular cinematography, vfx, acting, directing, lighting, pacing… the list goes on? This is absolutely Film Riot's best work yet. (6 Mins)

Want to know more?

Contact our Small Budget Film Director with specific questions.

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