High above Mars, the terraformers of short film Migrants go through a well-polished routine, knowing that they’re not preparing for their own futures on the planet, but for children in the generations to come.
French concept artist Paul Chadeisson, who directed Migrants, has created tons of gorgeous sci-fi work, which you can check out on his website as well as onscreen, as part of projects like the Blade Runner 2049 anime short Black Out 2022, and the upcoming Apple TV+ adaptation of Isaac Asimov’s Foundation. (Probably not coincidentally, the legendary author gets a visual shout-out in Migrants.)
But while his work usually helps flesh out the visions of others, the three-minute Migrants puts Chadeisson’s artwork front and centre—there are no actors, just space vehicles smoothly docking in orbit—with just a bit of voiceover to add a small amount of context, as well as this included description: “Humanity started the process of terraforming Mars many years ago. We follow the thoughts and prayers of one of the ‘cleaners’ who works on this titanic project.”
Presented by Oats Studios, an indie film project founded by Neill Blomkamp (District 9, Elysium), Migrants is the first in a planned series of short films “from artists we love,” as the title card affirms.