PERGA

TREATMENT

PERGA is a visually breathtaking narrative short, crafted in Unreal Engine. It’s a poetic meditation on what it means to belong to a planet, a reflection on the meaning of ‘home’, and on humanity’s drive for growth that, left unchecked, can lead to self-destruction.

Earth is a distant memory, lost to history over 7,000 years ago. Humanity drifts among the stars, driven only by a myth—a sentient world called PERGA, glimpsed in dreams and encoded in legend.

Only the Dream Speaker, an heir to a genetic lineage can speak to the planet through his dreams. But his arrival is catastrophic. His ship is torn apart upon entry, leaving him stranded and alone on PERGA’s surface. Desperate, he shelters in the ruins of an alien structure, only to discover the planet itself is alive, communicating through haunting dreams, symbolic visions, and a shifting reality that bends to its will.

As he navigates PERGA’s surreal, ever-changing landscapes, the Dream Speaker is forced to confront himself, as the planet forces him to take a journey into his own psyche. The planet tests him, revealing long-buried memories and forcing him to unravel the messages that lies hidden in himself.

The journey builds to a final confrontation with the planet PERGA itself. To succeed, the Dream Speaker must uncover the real reason humanity has searched so long for a home, and whether reaching PERGA is the end of the search, or only another beginning.

PERGA is more than a survival story. It’s a journey into identity, memory, and the meaning of home. With stunning visuals driven by Unreal Engine, a surreal and poetic narrative, this short film promises a powerful, meaningful experience that will help the audience explore what it means to belong to a planet.

VISUALS

The film will have a runtime of ~10 Min.

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

FESTIVAL CIRCUIT EXPOSURE

PERGA is designed to break new ground in visual storytelling. Using Unreal Engine, we’ve built a film that doesn’t just tell a story but immerses you in a world that feels both otherworldly and a story that has depth and is human. The imagery is rich, poetic, and unlike anything typically seen in Unreal engine based short films.

Before premiering online, we’re selection festivals that celebrate originality and new ways of filmmaking, while also leaning towards BAFTA qualifying fests: SXSW, Telluride, Annecy, Tribeca, Fantastic Fest, Busan, BFI London, Melbourne, Rotterdam, and Palm Springs ShortFest.

These festivals value films that move the art form forward. PERGA isn’t just a technical showcase, it’s a cinematic experience built to stand out in a landscape crowded with familiar ideas and looks. We are making this film for festivals that are looking for films that tell timeless stories in extraordinary new ways.

OUR GOAL. FROM SHORT TO FEATURE.

Our primary strategy is to launch PERGA as a visually striking short film, designed to make a strong impact at key festivals. This approach follows a proven path taken by acclaimed features such as Whiplash, which began as a Sundance-winning short before being developed into a multi-award-winning feature, and District 9, which originated from Neill Blomkamp’s short “Alive in Joburg.” By first building recognition and industry buzz with the short, we can attract funding and partners for a full-length adaptation. Our end goal, is to make a feature film entirely on Unreal Engine that are shown in cinemas around the world, and proves that Unreal can be used to express deeply meaningful stories.