Gun Golem

In the distant future a hotshot mech pilot crashes in the forests of a world besieged by war. Stranded, she must not only care for her injured co-pilot, repair her mech, and survive in the wild she must also join forces with a local huntress to fend off a gang of ruthless scavengers who will stop at nothing to get her powerful mech for themselves.

THE STORY
The year 2609 A.D.

Above a distant planet a decades-long war rages in the vacuum of space.

When Sphinx, a hotshot mech pilot, is shot down, she and her injured co-pilot find themselves stranded in the forests of a hostile world. With no hope for rescue the only chance for survival is for Sphinx to find a way to repair the damaged mech and get them back to their forces in orbit above.

But a weapon as powerful as a mech is not something that goes unnoticed and gangs of local scavengers are on the move to capture such a prize for themselves. One ruthless gang, led by the metal-masked leader Silverbeard, will stop at nothing to harness the mech’s power for themselves and they have the people and weapons to do it.

With little time and the odds against her Sphinx finds herself in a no-win scenario until she meets a local hunter named Ry-al who just might be the unlikely ally she needs to pull off the impossible…

Gun Golem is a science fiction film that uses well-crafted characters to tell an exciting and universal tale of survival, friendship, and a giant robot. There are heroes to root for, villains you love to hate, and stunning visuals that will blow audiences away. People love Science Fiction and humans have flocked to the genre for over 200 years! It started with Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein in 1818 and continues its popularity to this day with Star Wars, Avatar, Mad Max, and it can even be seen in much of the Superhero Genre. Following in the tradition of the genre Gun Golem explores deeper themes of humanity, the civilian casualties of war, and the inherent search for belonging.

At its core Gun Golem represents diverse voices both in front of and behind the camera. The co-leads are characters from underrepresented communities as are many of the supporting characters. Every member of the producers team also comes from an underrepresented community and a core mission is to keep the door open and include as many other members from underrepresented groups in the film as possible in each and every facet.

Minnesota’s amazing and spectacular outdoor locales were a major inspiration for the film and one of the goals of Gun Golem is to showcase just how wonderful and diverse the natural Minnesota land is. From waterfalls to caves to the cliffs of Palisade Head overlooking Lake Superior, Gun Golem uses them all to celebrate the beauty all around us.

BIOS:

Micheal Winingham (writer/director/producer)

Michael is an award-winning BIPOC screenwriter & director who has been working in independent film for two decades and now lives in the Twin Cities. He is a passionate storyteller who loves all things film and strives to tell stories that are familiar yet new. Gun Golem is a love letter to the sci-fi of the 80’s & 90’s while celebrating diversity, inclusion, and the human spirit. Michael’s screenplays have been recognized by the prestigious Academy of Motion Pictures & Sciences(Oscars), the Austin Film Festival, ScreenCraft, Script Lab, and the St. Louis International Film Festival. His short film CAR JACK, which he wrote & directed, premiered at the historic TCL Chinese Theater in Hollywood, CA and went on to screen at 20 film festivals across the world while winning numerous awards and nominations along the way. Michael hopes that Gun Golem can help contribute to Minnesota’s rising status as an exciting and competitive filmmaking center.

Victoria Main (producer)

A native of Duluth, Minnesota, Victoria’s work as an actress, writer, and producer has included film, television, and theatre projects from Duluth and the Twin Cities to Washington DC and New York.

Habeeb Ali Khan (producer)

Habeeb is an independent filmmaker from St. Louis, Missouri who has 18 years of experience writing, directing, and producing independent short and feature length films. He can’t wait to get to work with such a diverse team of talented storytellers and bring Gun Golem to life.

Kaity Williams (cinematographer)

Award-winning cinematographer, Kaity Williams was born and raised in South Carolina. She developed a passion for cinematography and the craft of visual storytelling, which inspired her move to Los Angeles in 2014 to pursue a career in filmmaking. In the feature film world, Kaity photographed the terse thriller Break In, the multi-award-winning romantic drama Before the Dawn, as well as additional photography on the Biblical epic The Penitent Thief. In documentaries, Kaity photographed the Streamy Show of the Year winner, 30 Days with: Bretman Rock, for which she received the Gold Telly Award for Best Cinematography, and the multi-award-winning racing documentary short Sonya Slidez in addition to an ongoing docuseries with custom super-car crafting expert Nelson Racing Engines. Her prolific work in short films includes Alone Together, Decisions, the sci-fi adventure On the Orion, and the multi-award winning lyrical visual poem, Glaistig. Her commercial work includes national spots for American Cancer Society, regional spots for Publix in addition to Footlocker, and UberEats. She is an active member of the American Society of Cinematographers Motion Imaging Technology Council Lens Committee, has been featured several times in American Cinematographer magazine and was a contributor to the internationally renowned The Cine Lens Manual. www.kaitywilliams.com

Harrison Chambers (production designer)

With 17 years of experience in the technical world of staged entertainment, and having spent the last ten years in Los Angeles as an Indie Art Director/Production Designer, an IATSE 44 Construction Coordinator and Foreman, and a high school teacher, he has seen it all; from the scraping, scratching, scramble of DIY zero budget short films and children’s theatre, to the unpredictable whirlwind of $140million+ studio features, running crews of 80+ professionals. Most recently he has worked as Construction Foreman for Noah Baumbach’s Feature “White Noise”, Construction Foreman for David O’Russell’s feature “Amsterdam”, Art Director for Ryan Spindell’s “The Mortuary Collection”, and Construction Gangboss for seasons 1 &2 of AppleTV+’s “For All Mankind”. www.chambercreative.com

Scott Pope (art director)

Scott Pope Art Director, Prop Master, award winning, master level costumer and fabricator, first dove in to fabrication in 1996. Practical effects, sculpting, casting, foamsmithing, leather-working, sewing, metal-work, 3D modeling and printing are just some of the skills he’s brought to Television, Movies and the Entertainment industries over the years. Lending his skills to clients such as Sony, Marvel, Netflix, Amazon, 2K Games and as well as being the Side Kick to SKS Prop’s popular HD Foam line of products and supplies.

Samantha Rei (costume designer)

In 1998, Samantha began attending the Perpich Center for Arts Education in Golden Valley, Minnesota, choosing to hone her skills as an illustrator and painter so she could pursue comic book art. After graduating in 1999, she spent some time at the College of Visual Arts (CoVA) in Saint Paul to major in illustration before continuing her education at the Minneapolis Community and Technical College for Apparel Technologies. She’s been featured in Huffington Post, Shojo Beat, the American Gothic and Lolita Bible, Gothic Beauty, Glamour UK and Vogue UK. Samantha was named one of 2014 City Pages “Artists of the Year” and 2016 Best of the Twin Cities “ Best Fashion Show” and 2016 and 2017 Reader’s Choice “Best Local Fashion Designer.” In 2015 she authored and illustrated a how-to book on subculture fashion design called Steampunk and Cosplay Fashion Design Illustration. Samantha was a contestant on season 16 of Lifetime’s Project Runway in 2017, the final season to appear on the station. She’s delved into designing costumes for theater productions like Queens and Hedwig and the Angry Inch. Samantha has a YouTube series in which she reviews sci-fi and fantasy costumes. www.samantharei.com