One of the festival highlights was the presentation of the world premiere of local film Den Mother Crimson. Made entirely in Kingston, Ontario, the movie was unfinished when it was presented. The edit was still a little rough, the effects somewhat incomplete and the sound design still in an early stage. Part of a pilot project to help make Kingston a new filmmaking destination, the movie primarily takes place in a warehouse, which feels counterproductive in showcasing all that the city has to offer. Nonetheless, the film’s sci-fi premise relies on production design, costuming and other locally sourced audiovisual dressing to pop. The film is straight out of The Twilight Zone, the story of three scientists hired as consultants in a remote prison project where the hyper-intelligent AI technology has gone rogue. The film itself, though rough, is entertaining enough despite its humble means and limited location. It’s a lot more text than subtext, at least in this iteration, but it will be interesting to see how much the final version will change based on this first public screening.