Experiencing Interruptions?

The Golden Record

The Film introduces Taino (24), a passionate young student who lives in Nassau, Bahamas. Taino is frequently found daydreaming and lost in thought despite the gorgeous backdrop of paradise. As someone who always has his head in the clouds, he struggles to find his place in the world. And though he tries to build relationships, his only real friend is Elina. Elina (23) is a bubbly, outspoken islander whose mantra in life is to be present in all moments. She never rushes to get anywhere on time and stops whenever possible to admire the beauty around her.
In spite of being so different Taino and Elina are inseparable. They help each other study, watch movies together, read comic books together (usually initiated by Taino), tease one another (mostly done by Elina), and visits their favorite spot on the beach often. They have an easy-going life and are surrounded by beauty but things are not as they seem.
On a specific morning, Taino seems deeply troubled and is rehearsing a conversation with himself in the mirror. A heavy secret has been weighing on him and he has been wanting to tell Elina for a long time. Though he has tried to tell her on multiple occasions, the timing has never been right.
Finally, the time comes. Taino mentally prepares himself and begins the hard conversation. He spends most of his time prefacing the topic to make it easier to reveal his secret. Elina, outspoken as ever, urges him to get to the point. With hands trembling and sweat pouring, Taino reveals that he is an extraterrestrial brought to Earth with no clues to his past besides his treasured possession, The Golden Record from Voyager One.

  • Brandon Thomas
    Key Cast
    "Taino"
  • Elena Ester
    Key Cast
    "Elina"
  • Chase Fernander
    Key Cast
    "Herself"
  • Xander Sherman
    Key Cast
    "College Professor "
  • Jaquay Adderley
    Key Cast
    "Homeless man"
  • Brandon Thomas
    Director
  • Kyle Ferguson
    Director
  • Kyle Ferguson
    Director of Photography
  • Brandon Thomas
    Writer
  • Rachel Thomas
    Producer
  • Kyle Ferguson
    Producer
  • Brandon C. Thomas
    Producer
  • Craig Walkine
    Editor
  • Tony Williams
    Camera operator
  • Theo Miller
    Sound
  • Emmanuel Petit Homme
    Production assistant
  • Jay
    Production assistant
  • Angel Thompson
    1st AC
  • Tara Woodside
    Makeup
  • Santia Dean
    Wardrobe Supervisor
  • Anaya Dean
    Script Supervisor
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Genres:
    Sci-fi, Fantasy, Drama
  • Runtime:
    18 minutes 50 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    February 11, 2020
  • Production Budget:
    8,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    Bahamas
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Pan African Film Festival
    Los Angeles, CA
    February 28, 2021
    Official Selection
  • Hip Hop Film Festival
    New York
    August 21, 2020
    Best Short Film
  • Hip Hop Film Festival
    New York City
    August 21, 2020
    Best Sci-fi short
  • Trinity Detroit International Film Festival
    Detroit
    August 20, 2020
    Best Short Film
  • Capital City Black Film Festival
    Austin, Texas
    December 4, 2020
    Official Selection
  • Bahamas International Film Festival
    Nassau
    Bahamas
    January 8, 2021
    Official Selection
  • DC Black Film Festvial
    Washington DC
    United States
    September 17, 2020
    Official Selection
  • Florence Film Awards
    Florence
    Italy
    July 7, 2020
    Honorable Mention: Sci-Fi
  • Oregon State International Film Festival
    Oregon
    July 7, 2020
    Official Selection
  • San Antonio Black International Film Festival
    San Antonio, Texas
    United States
    October 2, 2020
    Official Selection
  • National Black Film Festival
    Houston, Texas
    July 9, 2020
    Official Selection
  • Genre Blast
    Virginia
    United States
    August 18, 2020
    Official Selection
  • Silicon Valley African Film Festival
    San Jose
    October 9, 2020
    Official Selection
  • Gary International Film Festival
    Gary, Indiana
    November 10, 2020
    Official Selection
  • Black Harvest Film Festival
    Chicago
    November 21, 2021
    Chicago Premiere
    Official Selection
  • San Francisco Indie Festival
    San Francisco
    September 17, 2021
    Official Selection
Director Biography - Brandon Thomas, Kyle Ferguson

Brandon C. Thomas is an actor, writer and the creator of “The Golden Record”. He’s been acting since middle school and has studied at IDSA (Identity School of Acting). He’s had a lead role on the Investigation Discovery Network, featured in Cosmopolitan, POP Sugar, & BET. Brandon was also selected by NBC to participate in their hosting workshop partnered with ABFF in 2019! Before finishing his personal project, “The Golden Record”, Brandon had created many online viral videos that have showcased his talent. You can say that receiving millions of views through social media was his initial training ground. In the beginning of his YouTube career, Emmy-nominated actress/director Elizabeth Banks shared a video of his that spread across the internet. Her support is what helped catapult Brandon’s confidence to create even more. He one day hopes to meet Elizabeth and thank her in person. Most recently, Ellen Degeneres and Trevor Noah have both shared a video of Brandon’s that has over 13 million views online. Recognizing his knack for making videos spread, Brandon took his passion for acting a step further and started working on his very first short film. Through inspiration from actors such as Viola Davis, Anthony Mackie, Chadwick Boseman and Gemma Chan, he continues to study his craft and hopes to be a great filmmaker that can inspire other creatives.

Kyle Ferguson is an award-winning director and videographer from Nassau, Bahamas. His company, Jiggy Productions, has created content for Bahamian businesses, major corporations, and even local artists. He’s shot videos for Burger King and created national video ads with Popeyes. One of his favorite times on set was filming Michael K Williams (The Wire, When They See Us) for a Bahamian commercial. As a two-time winner of the Elevation Awards “Video producer of the Year” honor, he has now expanded his portfolio to include directing and DP'ing on the short film, “The Golden Record”. His favorite directors are Christopher Nolan, Wes Anderson, David Fincher & M.Night Shyamalan. He hopes to set an example for up and coming directors across the world and especially those who are from his island in the Bahamas.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

Life beyond our planet has always fascinated me. I was very interested in telling this story because I had only seen documentaries created about the journeys of Voyager One & Voyager Two, but no fictional stories about this amazing feat. Two Golden records were placed on the voyagers in hopes extraterrestrial life would find it, what if they were found? As someone who had been severely bullied as a child and called an alien because of my big eyes and head this story hits home for me. Just like TAINO who struggles to find his place in the world, I struggled to find mine. I was physically and verbally abused throughout my younger years and even some family members didn’t respect me. I felt out of place at school and at home. When I was in 9th grade, a group of ten older boys harassed me, cornered me, and beat me up. That event changed my life forever. However, through my pain I learned important lessons about forgiveness that I hope to display through this story. Can family transcend, time, space and the material? We'll see...

- Brandon C. Thomas