The Sunderland Experiment

World Premiere
Directed by
Adam Petke, Sean Blau
starring
Cyrus Short, Dylan O'Brien, Dennice Cisneros
84 mins
 | 2013
 | United States
 | English
 

David is trapped. Ten years ago an alien being calling itself The Angel arrived in his hometown of Sunderland. It blockaded the town behind an electric fence and transformed the adults into zombies, a process it calls “Blessing.” The Angel claims that to be blessed is to begin the next stage of human evolution.

Raised in isolation, the children of Sunderland face an all-consuming choice. They can attend school to learn the teachings of the Angel and “evolve” like their parents, or they can fall; living their lives in the wasteland at the edge of the community where their small rebellions are tolerated as long as they remain within the confines of Sunderland.

When a fallen trespasses into the heart of town and shoots David The Angel intervenes, offering David a final chance at salvation. All he has to do is commit himself to following the rules he’s spent his life breaking, and studying the ways of a people that destroyed his family. On his journey to earn The Angel’s Blessing David will encounter betrayal, strange urges, and unexpected friends, and learn the true meaning of his mother’s execution.

Previously screened at: