PERGA

THE SEARCH FOR HOME

SCI-FI SHORT FILM BY BAFTA NOMINATED FILM MAKER, KRISH SHRIKUMAR

With Earth long destroyed, humanity has wandered the stars for over 7,000 years, searching for a planet they can call home that spoke to them in their dreams. This planet, sentient and waiting, is PERGA.

Only the dream seeker, marked by a rare mutation, can reach it. But when his vessel is torn apart on entry, he crash lands alone, without aid or guidance. To survive, he must journey through the shifting, surreal body of the planet itself and confront the sentient planet that summoned him across millennia.

THEMES

  • The Dream Speaker

    The Dream Speakers are those to whom the planet speaks to, through dreams. For 7,000 years, they’ve deciphered these visions, slowly uncovering the location of their destined home. Now, after millennia of searching, the final dream reveals the first human who will set foot on the planet

  • PERGA

    They finally arrived at the location and they see PERGA, the planet that will be their new home—the new Earth.

  • The Crash Landing

    The last Dream Speaker is sent to the planet, but the landing fails and the ship crash lands on PERGA.

  • The Dream Seeker Nearly Drowns

    In some kind of blackish red oily substance..

  • He Survives

    He finds a way out of the black substance and survives.. barely

  • The Lone Wanderer

    He finds a planet abandoned with remnants of life from a millennia ago

  • The Well

    While trying to drink and quench his raging thirst, he falls into a well. There, in the depths, he meets the planet manifested as a dark figure formed from an oily substance.

  • The Underground Temple

    He falls through the well into the underbelly of the planet.

    If PERGA is to be their home, it is here that he must confront the planet.

  • THE SHADOW

    The physical embodiment of the planet. The personification of all the life that once lived on this planet.

    and it seeks the wanderer …

  • The Confrontation of the Planet

    He must finally face the demon and transcend it to reach home, to make this home.

TREATMENT

A lone survivor crash lands on a mysterious planet. He survives and he moves to an abandoned structure for shelter. It soon becomes apparent that the planet is sentient, subtly guiding and challenging him through cryptic visions and shifting realities. The planet communicates with him through symbolic dreams and visions, forcing him to understand the meaning the planet is communicating to him. A story that arcs towards a a confrontation between the main character and the planet. A confrontation that the man must win, for him to find a way home.

Drawing parallels to the psychological and philosophical depth of films like "Stalker," the story weaves a journey where survival becomes a profound exploration of the self. Ultimately, he must unravel the planet's enigmatic messages to understand his true mission and decide if returning home is even possible, or if the journey itself holds deeper significance.

At its core, PERGA is a deep narrative short that explores themes of self-discovery, expressed in the splendor of the beautiful planet and striking imagery, all composed in Unreal Engine. We explore the encounters which expresses the survivor's subconscious. A visual expression of struggle that is not merely physical but a profound internal battle that ultimately demands acceptance and integration of his darkest aspects, redefining his sense of self and purpose.

Visuals

Exploring the visually stunning, lush environments of the planet surface.

Underground temple that mixes brutality architecture with natural subterranean rock formations

Characters that are beautifully weaved in Indian mythology

Vision

We hope that PERGA will be a deeply meaningful story, that demonstrates the artistic versatility of Unreal Engine. Our aim is to get PERGA into some of the premier film festivals around the world, before it’s premier on YouTube. We will be getting guidance with this and support from Creative Scotland.

Krish Shrikumar

Director, Writer

BAFTA-nominated filmmaker

Satyajit Ray Foundation Short Film Award nominee

Epic MegaGrant recipient for groundbreaking mindfulness game

Creator of one of the most popular meditation-based video games in the world

Steam Award nominee for Visual Style

Deutsche Bank Creative Entrepreneur finalist

Rising Star Award recipient, Business Insider

Gus Amador

Lead Unreal Artist

<placeholder> Gus is a veteran environment artist with deep experience crafting immersive, story-driven worlds for high-profile titles. His work on games like Medal of Honor Warfighter, Army of Two The Devil's Cartel, and Pillars of Eternity II Deadfire showcases a range from grounded realism to rich fantasy. He specializes in building atmospheric, cinematic environments that support both narrative and tone. Most recently, Gus contributed artwork to the sci-fi narrative game A Long Journey to an Uncertain End, blending stylized design with emotional storytelling. With a strong grasp of Unreal Engine and a passion for visual worldbuilding, Gus brings the experience and creative sensibility needed to help shape a striking, mythical sci-fi world.

Ian Herring

Production Designer

Ian Herring is an illustrator and Eisner Nominated Colourist that split his youth between small town Ontario and smaller town Cape Breton. He was raised on Nintendo and reruns of ‘The Simpsons’. Somewhere during this time, he learned to draw.

He has worked on countless projects for Marvel, DC, IDW, Darkhorse, and Boom! Studios including Ms. Marvel, Silk, Ghost Tree, Jim Henson’s A Tale of Sand, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

Disclaimer

The images in this pitch was created using generative AI.

However, We want to make it clear that no generative AI tools will be used in the creation of the final project. All artwork, music, writing, and creative elements will be entirely made by human hands and minds. This is a conscious choice, to preserve authenticity, originality, and the human touch at the heart of our work