"Alien" 40th Anniversary Shorts

If you are a big fan of the "Alien" franchise films you don't want to miss the six shorts that were chosen to celebrate the 40^th anniversary of the sci-fi horror film. The six films were chosen out of 550 pitches after Twentieth Century Fox Film partnered with global creative community Tongal to offer die-hard fans an opportunity to develop and produce wholly original shorts. 

I had the chance to see all six of them and I was impressed by the "Alien" theme throughout all of them. I was excited to see the two shorts directed by women where the women are the heroes who attempt to save the day! 

The shorts will start March 29th at 12 pm/ 9 am PST on IGN and on May 3rd they will be available on the official @AlienAnthology social channels and AlienUniverse.com. 

ALIEN: 40^th Anniversary Shorts Synopses:

March 29th: ALIEN: Containment -Four survivors find themselves stranded aboard a small escape pod in deep space. Trying to piece together the details around the outbreak that led to their ship’s destruction, they find themselves unsure to trust whether or not one of them might be infected. Written and Directed by Chris Reading

April 5th: ALIEN: Specimen - It’s the night shift in a colony greenhouse, and Julie, a botanist, does her best to contain suspicious soil samples that have triggered her sensitive lab dog. Despite her best efforts the lab unexpectedly goes into full shutdown and she is trapped inside. Little does she know, an alien specimen has escaped the mysterious cargo, and a game of cat and mouse ensues as the creature searches for a host. Directed by Kelsey Taylor

April 12th: ALIEN: Night Shift -When a missing space trucker is discovered hungover and disoriented, his co-worker suggests a nightcap as a remedy. Near closing time, they are reluctantly allowed inside the colony supply depot where the trucker’s condition worsens, leaving a young supply worker alone to take matters into her own hands.  Written and Directed by Aidan Brezonick 

April 19th: ALIEN: Ore - As a hard-working miner of a planet mining colony, Lorraine longs to make a better life for her daughter and grandchildren. When her shift uncovers the death of a fellow miner under mysterious circumstances, Lorraine is forced to choose between escape or defying management orders and facing her fears to fight for the safety of her family. Written and Directed by the Spear Sisters

April 26th: ALIEN: Harvest - The surviving crew of a damaged deep-space harvester have minutes to reach the emergency evacuation shuttle. A motion sensor is their only navigation tool leading them to safety while a creature in the shadows terrorizes the crew. However, the greatest threat might have been hiding in plain sight all along. Directed by Benjamin Howdeshell 

April 26th: ALIEN: Alone - Hope, an abandoned crew member aboard the derelict chemical hauler Otranto, has spent a year trying to keep her ship and herself alive as both slowly fall apart. After discovering hidden cargo, she risks it all to power up the broken ship in search of human life. Written and Directed by Noah Miller

In addition to the shorts series, Fox has launched several other exciting initiatives around the 40^th Anniversary of the premiere of the original ALIEN film. The USC School of Cinematic Arts is currently hosting a special exhibit of elements from all six films in the ALIEN franchise, including concept art by Academy Award winner H.R. Giger, plus costumes, props, memorabilia, and fan art.  Everything ALIEN will culminate in a 24-hour, worldwide celebration on ALIEN DAY, Friday, April 26th. 

Join the conversation and follow @AlienAnthology on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube, and dive deeper into the terrifying world of ALIEN on AlienUniverse.com.