In the near future man is about to land on Mars. GTN (Global Television Network) broadcasts its usual information/entertainment program, passing it off as news, to monitor the event: “News on Mars.”
However, no news of the spaceship Centaurus and its crew has come back to Earth for over a week. The journalist makes up a case out of this silence asking the question — What could have happened? Are the crew members still alive? Finally the link with Centaurus is established and the captain announces a revolutionary scientific discovery, but for one anchor woman this news just isn’t sensational enough.
Combine sensationalism with glamorous style and popularity, juxtapose it to the scientific, silent and slow motion life in space and you have “Space Off”. A Tino Franco sci-fi short film with a touch of ironic malice that points out the need today for straight-forward news reporting.
Landing on Mars could mean colonizing the planet, but why not keep in touch with the reality of it? The passion for set design, and infinite care of details and quality special effects, make “Space Off” a unique film on the contemporary scene of young, Italian and independent film production.
This winner of the 2002 Nastro d Argento award for Best Film Short is now available to U.S. audiences on DVD.
To learn more visit the “Space Off” Website or you can visit Tino’s MySpace Page. If you visit the “Space Off” Website, have your translator turned on. Most of it is in Italian.
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