(L-R): Jesse O’Brien, Samuel Baulch and Christian D’Alessi.
The creators of sci-fi film Arrowhead have teamed up again on a proof of concept short, Return Flight.
However, this time around Arrowhead’s producer Christian D’Alessi is in the director’s chair, while Jesse O’Brien is now producing and Samuel continues as cinematographer.
The film is set in 1952 as Australia finds itself in the midst of the Korean War. Single father of two Thomas Parker is recruited as a test pilot into a top secret coalition branch, and vanishes mysteriously while in flight.
One year later during a storm, the children spot a mysterious object falling out of the sky. It’s their father, who has severe memory loss but has gained a gift: flesh-like wings. Reunited but on the run, the family must escape the secret military coalition that hunts them.
“Return Flight came from a time in my youth when I was fascinated in both the spiritual and the supernatural. Daydreaming during one of my art classes back in 2001, I first had this idea and would sketch the same final image of a man with wings over and over. I began writing a story surrounding this imagery with intent for it be a comic book first and a dream that it would be later adapted into a film,” said D’Alessi.
Shot in Victoria in March using a RED Epic, Return Flight is a proof of concept intended for a miniseries on an SVOD platform.
“We were in post-production when Stranger Things dropped. It’s a great show and it confirmed to us that weare right on the pulse. Just like Stranger Things and Super 8, Return Flight embraces nostalgia and pays homage to many key influences of pop culture from my childhood,” said D’Alessi.
"One of its strengths is its Australian setting,as it has the ability to cut through the tropes and cliches often seen in American films and television set in the 50s, while also striking a balance by embracing them.”
Return Flight from Christian D'Alessi on Vimeo.