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.

  • 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.

PERGA - Treatment

With Earth long destroyed, humanity has wandered the stars for over 7,000 years guided only by dreams of a distant, sentient planet called PERGA.

Only one known as the Dream Seeker who is born from an ancient lineage carrying a rare genetic mutation can find and reach PERGA. But when his ship is torn apart upon entry, he crash-lands alone, left without aid or guidance. Taking shelter in an abandoned structure, he quickly discovers that PERGA itself is alive, communicating through cryptic dreams, symbolic visions, and shifting realities.

As he journeys through the planet’s surreal and ever-changing landscape, survival transforms into a profound exploration of his subconscious. PERGA challenges him at every turn, forcing him to confront hidden aspects of himself and decode its mysterious messages.

Ultimately, he must face a climactic confrontation with the sentient planet that summoned him. Victory demands more than physical survival, it requires understanding and embracing the darkest truths within himself. Only then can he discover the true purpose behind humanity’s long search for a home and decide if finding a way there is even the ultimate goal.

PERGA is a visually striking narrative short created in Unreal Engine, weaving a compelling story of self-discovery, indentity, and the deeper significance hidden within humanity’s endless search for home.

Visuals

Poetic, symbolic and dream-like imagery, unconstrained by the limits of physical reality

Exploring the visually stunning, lush environments of the planet surface

Underground temple that mixes brutalist architecture with natural subterranean rock formations

Characters that are beautifully weaved in Indian mythology

Vision

Our goal is for PERGA to be a deeply visual storytelling, showcasing the artistic power and versatility of Unreal Engine. Before its premiere on YouTube, we aim to present PERGA at prestigious film festivals worldwide .

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

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