DESCRIPTION

A family of scavengers. A corrupt spaceport. A callous matriarch. A home in the shadow of a space elevator. After a brutal attack on his father, Simon Carter must sacrifice everything to save his family.

A short sci-fi epic.

Shot in Melbourne, Bendigo and on - quite literally on - Lake Eppalock.

“This is science-fiction at its best.”
– Rob Munday (Critic: Short-of-the-Week)

“When we first saw Stuart Willis’ short film Payload earlier this year, we were blown away. It’s a fully-realized tale of tough frontier life.”
– Annalee Newitz (Editor: i09)

“A beautiful expression of desperation, and the lengths to which one might go for freedom.”
– Michelle Star (Writer: CNet Crave)

“Payload sets relatable characters in a believable future to deliver a compelling story about hard choices and sacrifice.”
– Marbelle (Editor: Director’s Notes)

“This is probably the best short film I’ve seen featured [on] AICN”
– LV426, (Ain’t It Cool News Saturday Shorts)