Experiencing Interruptions?

TRUTH.exe

A young hacktivist by the alias of G1ll (Felix Elliott) is given a USB drive which contains an extraordinary truth; his mission is to upload it to the internet. However there are larger forces at play that will stop at nothing to prevent this. Strange photographers with cameras of unnatural power and the haunted video broadcast of a woman (Roanna Dalziel, Shortland Street ) join forces to stop G1ll’s pursuit for truth.

  • Ricky Townsend
    Director
    Tremble
  • Roanna Dalziel
    Key Cast
    "The Woman"
    Shortland Street
  • Felix Elliott
    Key Cast
    "Gill"
  • Snow Valormae
    Music
    Tremble
  • Ricky Townsend
    Writer
    Tremble
  • Ricky Townsend
    Producer
  • Project Type:
    Short, Student
  • Genres:
    Sci-fi, Thriller, Neo-noir
  • Runtime:
    18 minutes 30 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    June 28, 2019
  • Production Budget:
    875 NZD
  • Country of Origin:
    New Zealand
  • Country of Filming:
    New Zealand
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital, Cinema 4K/2K
  • Aspect Ratio:
    1.90:1
  • Film Color:
    Black & White and Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    Yes
  • SciFi Film Festival
    Sydney
    Australia
    September 7, 2019
    Australia
    Official Selection
  • 2019 Changing Face International Film Festival

    Australia
    November 6, 2019
    Monthly Finalist
  • 45th Boston SciFi Film Fest
    Boston, Massachusetts
    United States
    February 8, 2020
    North American Premiere
    Official Selection
  • 2020 Miami International Science Fiction Film Festival
    Miami
    United States
    April 10, 2020
    Florida, United States
    Official Selection - Best Student Film
Director Biography - Ricky Townsend

Ricky Townsend is a young filmmaker from Christchurch, New Zealand. Ricky is a fine arts student, specialising in film, at the Ilam School of Fine Arts, University of Canterbury. He is also pursuing an arts degree in Philosophy.

Ricky was diagnosed within the Autism Spectrum Disorder at a very young age. Because of this, Ricky has found filmmaking helps him understand other people and be understood in ways he could never achieve before.

Ricky Townsend’s early work won the Overall Secondary Student Award for the 2016 ‘New Zealand Young Filmmakers Competition’ and the Secondary School Runner Up Award for the 2016 ‘FocusOnAbility Short Film Festival’. Ricky also directed the comedic ‘How To Bus’ social etiquette video with Metro Canterbury which currently has more than 270 thousand views on Facebook.

Ricky has had his recent short films 'Tremble' and 'TRUTH.exe' selected for the 2019 Sydney Indie Film Festival, the 45th Boston Science Fiction Film Festival, the Miami International Science Fiction Film Festival, the SciFi Film Festival, in Australia, the Changing Face International Film Festival and the Top of the South Film Festival.

'TRUTH.exe' won Best Student Film at the Miami International Science Fiction Film festival and 'Tremble' was nominated for Best True Story at the Sydney Indie Film Festival.

Ricky's short film on autism, 'Mr. Savant', is one of 10 winning films in The Outlook for Someday 2019 Film Challenge. A nationwide film competition for people under 24 in New Zealand.

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Director Statement

I wanted to explore a world that contains a consistent, though fantastical, lore where through the eyes of the characters everything would seem absurd and surreal. The audience’s desire to know what this broader story is about allows us to sympathise with G1ll’s mission. He is just as much in the dark as we are and like us he wants to make sense of it all.

In the film, G1ll is confronted with a moral dilemma. Should we value our wellbeing over truth or is there value in knowing the truth independent of how it affects our wellbeing. This to me acts as a narrative anchor in an otherwise obscure story and is the heart of G1ll’s journey.

I also wanted to demonstrate that you do not need a big budget, with big cameras, with a big cast and crew to create a big story.