EMBERS & DUST Is an Intoxicating Short Set Around the Events of Orson Welles' 1938 WAR OF THE WORLDS Broadcast
"Embers & Dust" is a must-watch short film that is brilliantly stunning! The story is set around the events of Orson Welles' legendary 1938 broadcast of War of the Worlds. As you know, the dramatized broadcast set listeners into a panic because they thought it was real. This short plays on that idea as a young boy whose imagination runs wild with thoughts of aliens living on other planets ventures out into the woods on the night of the broadcast looking for answers to his question.
On the evening of October 30th, 1938 Orson Welles’ voice travelled far across the radio waves, bringing word of an invading alien army from Mars. The theatricality and delivery of the performance, along with recent memories of the Hindenburg disaster (one year prior), sent many listeners into a panic. Unfortunate coincidence would fall upon the town of Concrete Washington where, at the height of the invading alien attack, a power transformer blew out sending the entire town and surrounding areas into darkness.
The short was written and directed by Patrick Biesemans, and it's a beautifully crafted love letter to imagination, creativity, and Orson Welles. I absolutely loved the story and the atmosphere that it was set in. It's a spectacular piece of storytelling that will leave you with chills.