Private Project

DAWN

On the night of the largest supermoon in history, Willow is called upon by her estranged father and finds society’s elites gathered in a secret facility, ready to escape the planet.

She is made to choose between love or her privilege: stay behind with Dan, or leave with her father before the moon collides with Earth.

  • Shane Lim
    Director
    November, Vessel, #L4L
  • Shane Lim
    Writer
  • Caroline Webster
    Writer
  • Diana Podra
    Producer
  • Gabrielle Sheppard
    Key Cast
    "Willow"
  • Samuel Parkinson
    Key Cast
    "Dan"
  • Robert Perkins
    Key Cast
    "George"
  • Catherine
    Key Cast
    "Tania Khan"
  • Project Type:
    Experimental, Short, Student
  • Genres:
    Drama, Fantasy, Sci-Fi
  • Runtime:
    18 minutes
  • Completion Date:
    January 17, 2020
  • Production Budget:
    11,000 GBP
  • Country of Origin:
    United Kingdom
  • Country of Filming:
    United Kingdom
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    2.39
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    Yes - National Film and Television School
  • 8th Sci-Fi Film Festival
    Sydney
    Australia
    World Premiere
    Official Selection
  • 13th Shockfest Film Festival
    New York
    United States
    North American Premiere
    Official Selection
  • 47th Boston SciFi Film Festival
    Boston
    United States
    Official Selection
  • 10th Philip K. Dick Film Festival
    New York
    United States
    Official Selection
  • 6th European Philip K. Dick Film Festival
    Lille
    France
    October 27, 2023
Director Biography - Shane Lim

Shane Lim (b. 1993) is a filmmaker and graduate of the National Film and Television School with an MA in Directing Fiction.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

'Dawn' began as a way for me to process a traumatic relationship with a partner who came from a background of privilege.

The experience made me privy to the cultural differences between the working class and the wealthy, and I wanted to tell a story about inequality based on my personal insecurities at that time. This quickly evolved into a wider interrogation of capitalism.

The concept for 'Dawn' was grounded on my fascination with astrology (my relationship began on the night of the 'Blood Moon', July 27 2018, the longest lunar eclipse of the 21st century) and I soon found a complementary vehicle to articulate my politics: Elon Musk's 'Space X', which provided the inspiration for the ‘SEANCE' facility in the film. Interestingly, while 'Dawn' was in post-production, Jeff Bezos announced his own space company, 'Blue Origins’.

“It’s time to go back to the Moon, this time to stay.”

While the 1% continue to drive our planet towards destruction and keep us spellbound by fantasies of a second home in space, it is my hope that Willow and Dan's story will entertain but also light a spark among audiences, and make us more aware of the role the 1% play in our collective futures.