In 1979, the world was introduced to arguably the greatest Sci-Fi Horror Film ever made with Ridley Scott’s Alien, and this year marks the 40th Anniversary of the film’s release. For four decades, the franchise has inspired and terrified multiple generations of audiences and filmmakers alike – and to celebrate this fact, Twentieth Century Fox has partnered with global creative community Tongal to offer fans the chance to create short films that take place in the world of Alien.

Fox and Tongal received over 550 pitches from avid Alien fanatics and somehow managed to whittle it down to just SIX and gave these talented people unprecedented access to everything a fan can dream of – assets, characters and much more – in order to create a new breed of experiences that will also pay homage to the original film.

The synopsis and titles of all six short films are as follows:

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

 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

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

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 Breznick

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

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

It’s certainly great to see a mixture of both male and female filmmakers involved with this which will definitely create some truly unique short films. The projects will be released weekly by IGN.com starting on March 29th for global audiences and – alongside all of that – Friday April 26th is Alien Day, where you can join in with other Alien fans to celebrate the legendary series by following @AlienAnthology on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube leading up to this momentous occasion.

Check out the teaser trailer below and let us know which short film you are excited for by tweeting us @STARBURST_MAG

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