In the 1960s, the dream was to take that first step on the moon one day. Sixty years later, the new dream is to one day take that first step on Mars. Director/writer Christian Debney’s short film, Starship, envisions what that trip would look like.
The sci-fi short opens with a lone astronaut preparing for liftoff. The only personal piece of value is a picture of his son, which he stows securely in his suitcase. Now, off he embarks on his perilous journey to Mars.
If anything, Starship is a work of art. Filmmaker/animator Christian Debney pulls together an impressive and beautiful short film. Debney achieves as close to real and authentic as you can get for a short one-person project. I’m absolutely floored. Like the grand illusions, I was constantly asking myself how did Debney do it. Then I looked up his IMDB, and my question was quickly answered.

“…off he embarks on his perilous journey to Mars.”
The spaceship is incredibly detailed, from its final 3D models to the textures and design of the exteriors and interiors. Now add the launch pad, the astronaut, his uniform, the actual Earth launch, and Mars landing. The rendering of Earth is made from photos taken by decorated astronaut Buzz Aldrin. This short is crazy amazing. Debney brings a level of realism to a sci-fi (soon-to-be-fact) mission to Mars that is sure to inspire future astronauts. The filmmaker ends with a tribute to the current SpaceX program.
I can’t say enough about how gorgeous and inspiring Starship is, especially for a six-minute short. If you can, try to see Christian Debney’s vision of space on the largest 4K television you can find. Hell, seek this out at a festival if possible.