Gunpowder & Sky Launches Dust, a New Channel for Mind-Expanding Science Fiction Available on Roku
From Timeless Classics to Cutting-Edge Cult Favorites, Dust Is the Ultimate Destination for Sci-Fi Content
LOS ANGELES, CA(08 Aug 2018)
Gunpowder & Sky, the global content studio, announced today that it has launched Dust, a new destination for mind-expanding science fiction that explores the future of humanity through the lens of science and technology. Dust will be available on all Roku devices starting August 18, 2018.
Exploring the edge of possible - from the known, the legends, the titles everyone loves, to the new voices of tomorrow - Dust kicks off with more than 20 films, 30 series and 200 of its best short films, including: Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure, the 1989 sci-fi comedy starring Keanu Reeves; Paycheck, the 2003 sci-fi action film based on Philip K. Dick’s short story, starring Ben Affleck; A Scanner Darkly, the 2006 animated sci-fi thriller directed by Richard Linklater, based on Philip K. Dick’s novel of the same name and starring Reeves, Robert Downey, Jr., Woody Harrelson and Winona Ryder; “Beyond Westworld”, the 1980 television series based on the Michael Crichton helmed film Westworld; and “Mystery Science Theater 3000 (MST3K)”, the 1988 cult-favorite comedy series created by Joel Hodgson, and a slate of Dust short films including Bad Peter, starring Frankie Shaw (Showtime’s SMILF), Rise, starring Anton Yelchin (Star Trek, Taken) and Jonah, starring Daniel Kaluuya (Get Out, Black Mirror).
“Since Dust’s inception, our mission has been to build a contemporary sci-fi brand. Today, Dust has a thriving community of more than 2M fans, showcasing varying content from up-and-coming creators to masters like George Lucas and Robert Zemeckis. We are also producing and releasing original feature films and TV series under the Dust label,” said Floris Bauer, Co-founder and President, Gunpowder & Sky. “Having our own premium channel, and launching Dust, marks a natural and significant next step in the evolution of the brand.”
This news comes on the heels of Dust’s announcement that it has partnered with Lionsgate and the directors of the feature film Kin to create a sci-fi short movie competition called Kin x Dust, as well as the acquisition of Zeek Earl and Chris Caldwell’s sci-fi western Prospect, Dust’s first feature film which premiered at SXSW to critical acclaim and is set to debut theatrically later this year. Additionally, Dust’s sci-fi short, Bad Peter, starring Golden-Globe nominated Frankie Shaw (“SMILF”), was an official selection at this year’s Tribeca Film Festival.
ABOUT DUST
Dust, a division of global content studio Gunpowder & Sky, is the first premium sci-fi entertainment brand that reaches fans across all platforms, giving voice to emerging and established filmmakers.
Dust presents thought-provoking science fiction content, exploring the future of humanity through the lens of science and technology. From timeless to cutting-edge movies, series and short films, Dust acquires, produces and distributes content from established and emerging filmmaking voices.
Dust most recently premiered the Zach Strauss directed short film Bad Peter at Tribeca - a cautionary tale about an overbearing AI assistant - starring Golden-Globe nominee Frankie Shaw ("SMILF") and acquired PROSPECT which premiered at SXSW Film Festival 2018 starring Pedro Pascal (Narcos, Game of Thrones, Equalizer 2.
With more than 2M fans, Dust operates its own channels that are available on multiple platforms including YouTube, Facebook, VRV, Pluto and Xumo. Through its partnership with USC’s School of Cinematic Arts, Dust recently premiered the George Lucas 1967 short film, “Electronic Labyrinth: THX 1138 4EB”, followed by legendary filmmaker Robert Zemeckis’ 1972 student short film “The Lift”.
Dust also hosts podcasts and special events such as “The Future Is Female” screening that celebrates female sci-fi directors in film, as well as 'Represent: Diversity in Sci-Fi', a panel celebrating and examining multicultural voices in the sci-fi genre.
On August 18th, 2018, Dust launched Dust on Roku, a new sci-fi channel featuring timeless movies such as A Scanner Darkly, Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure and Paycheck and series such as Mystery Science Theater 3000, Ray Bradbury's Science Theater and Beyond Westworld, as well as hundreds of short films by the talent of tomorrow, including Rise, Jonah, and Automata.
ABOUT GUNPOWDER & SKY
Gunpowder & Sky is an award-winning independent global studio, dedicated to creating, marketing and distributing video content unrestricted by form, genre or platform. Gunpowder & Sky collaborates with both emerging and established talent to generate premium video content ranging from 90-second to 90-minute stories on all platforms. With in-house development, production, marketing and distribution capabilities, the company operates as a full 360-studio and oversees a library of over 1500 titles.
In 2017, Gunpowder & Sky released numerous films and series, including The Little Hours, starring Aubrey Plaza, Alison Brie, Dave Franco, Kate Micucci, John C. Reilly, Molly Shannon, Fred Armisen, Jemima Kirke and Nick Offerman, which premiered to sold-out audiences in NY and LA, and nabbed the highest per screen average for its opening weekend. Gunpowder & Sky was also responsible for the Herbalife exposé documentary, Betting on Zero, which debuted as the number one documentary in the iTunes store; Ben Young’s Hounds of Love, which won the Overlook Film Festival’s Jury and Audience Awards for Best Feature; and Spotify’s most viewed series, Drawn & Recorded. In partnership with HBO and Blumhouse Productions, Gunpowder & Sky also released two horror films, Totem and Like, Share, Follow. Separately, the company also launched DUST, the first premium, digitally-distributed sci-fi brand showcasing thought-provoking visions of the future from both established and emerging filmmakers.
Most recently, during the 2018 Sundance Film Festival the company acquired the North American rights to Brett Haley’s (I’ll See You In My Dreams, The Hero) Hearts Beat Loud, a touching ode to the bonding powers of music, and premiered Summer of ’84, the latest thriller from award-winning directors RKSS. Simultaneously, Trevor Stevens’ directorial debut, Rock Steady Row also premiered and won narrative feature jury and audience awards at the Slamdance Film Festival.
Headquartered in Los Angeles, with offices in NY and London, Gunpowder & Sky was founded by Van Toffler, Floris Bauer and Otter Media, a joint venture of AT&T and The Chernin Group.