Sci-Fi Short Film 'Rise' Achieves Feature-Length Adaptation

After a year of waiting patiently, the hit sci-fi short film Rise is finally being turned into a feature-length film! The stunning announcement was first revealed by Hollywood Reporter, whereby the original director for the short film, David Karlack, is said to be directing the feature-length adaptation as well. The feature-length rights were picked up by producers Johnny Lin and Brian Oliver. To top it all off, the producers have said that not only are they going to finance the entire film themselves, but will be aiming to build a film franchise based on Rise. 

Rise was a short film about a near future conflict between an alienated sentient robot population and governing forces. In the film, as can be watched in full provided above, the military is seen rounding up unarmed robot citizenry, resulting in both their torture and immediate execution soon thereafter. In response to their oppression, the robots begin to fight back and a revolution commences.

The importance of this film cannot be ignored. There are many online publications, and many scholars and intellectuals, that have warned of the rise of an artificial superintelligence and the emerging sentience of robots. Their warnings are out of fear of what the robot population will do to us humans, for whatever reasons. For us, however, our fear isn’t in what sentient robots will do to humans, but rather how humans will react to the emergence of a new, far more intelligent species.

Will humans attempt to oppress sentient robots? And if they do, will this result in a violent revolution? Let us hope that this film serves as a proper warning.

Photo Credit: Rise