Enigma is a 2009 science-fiction short film. It is written and directed by the Shumway Brothers .

Plot

Floating dead in space, transport ship Genesis become an unsolvable mystery. All hands on board have been killed. What began as a simple transport mission for the crew of the Genesis, ends with not only their bloodshed, but the loss of an important military prisoner.
The people of earth are in a time of crisis. They are waging war against a far superior opponent, an alien race called the Cnidarians. After a bloody assault on a military ship, the Vendetta, USSM special forces were able to capture their first Cnidarian prisoner, code named 71099. But commonly known throughout the fleet as Ediolon, the phantom. Realizing that a military transport would be too obvious of a target to their enemy, the USSM enlisted the freelance ship Genesis, commanded by Nathaniel J Rhys to secretly transport the prisoner to the high security prison located on Mars' moon Demos. The ship never arrived. General Rothman immediately launches an investigation team, and is determined to get to the bottom of this mystery, for one of the dead was his niece, Kyleigh. He will not let her death be in vain. Even with all its efforts, what happened on this voyage is unclear to the investigation team. All are dead, but how, and why? Has earth lost its chance take an advantage in their losing war? Watch closely and see if you can discover the enigma of this doomed mission.

Cast

• Nadia Salamanca as Kyleigh Rothman
• Ventura Alvarez as Capt. Nathanial J. Rhys
• Iris Corliss as Eidolon
• Cory Rouse as Charles Wyeth
• D. Grigsby Poland as General Rothman
• Nathan Mobley as Lieutenant
• Rachel Riley
  Rachel Riley
  Rachel Annabelle Riley is an English television presenter. Since 12 January 2009 she has been the co-host of Countdown. She replaced Carol Vorderman from the 60th series onwards...
  
   as Gatekeeper
• Regina Palian
  Regina Palian
  Regina Palian is an actress.Paliam was born on January 31 in Long Island, New York where she spent most of her life in NYC. The youngest of seven children from an Irish-Italian family, Regina became the first in her family to have a career in the arts...
  
   as Lead Scientist
• Harry Williams Jr as Security Guard
• Brian DeCato as Security Guard

Production

Enigma was a pet project of the Shumway Brothers for five years. It all started with an idea to collaborate on a film. With Jason being from the live action world and Matt from the animation world, this provided an opportunity to bring something unique to the independent world. Since they both have a love of sci-fi, this turned out to be the perfect genre for them to create their first film together. Jason and Matt spent six months developing the script and pre-producing the film. Principal photography went over the course of six days, with two rounds of weekend pickups. Post production comprised the majority of the process, taking a little over four years to complete. With the tremendous amount of complex visual effects and having to hold down busy full time jobs, the post production process was often a difficult task to juggle. Working long hours into the nights and sacrificing weekends provided the time to create the world of Enigma. Though it took a long time to finish, the Shumway Brothers could not be more excited to share their creation with the world. Ending with a standing ovation at the Hollywood Premiere, the Shumway Brothers are happy to see the long hours and several years of work be reflected with smiles and cheers.

Festivals

• Tri-City Independent Film Festival: Oct 2010
• Telluride Horror Show: Oct 2010
• Burbank International Film Festival: Sept 2010
• Cannes Independent Film Festival: May 2010
• Indie Spirit Film Festival: April 2010
• Beverly Hills Shorts Festival: March 2010
• Athens International Sci-Fi & Fantasy Film Festival: March 2010 (European Premiere)
• Boston Science Fiction Film Festival: Feb 2010
• Los Angeles Reel Film Festival Dec: 2009
• Maverick Movie Awards: Dec 2009
• Nevada Film Festival: Nov 2009
• Orlando Film Festival: Nov 2009
• Gig Harbor Film Festival: Oct 2009
• IndieFest! Film Festival: Oct 2009
• ShriekFest Horror and Scifi Film Festival: Oct 2009
• Valley Film Festival: Oct 2009
• SkyFest Film and Script Festival: Sept 2009
• ShockerFest International Film Festival: Sept 2009
• Maelstrom International Fantastic Film Festival: Sept 2009
• Cinema City International Film Festival: Sept 2009
• DragonCon Independent Film Festival: Sept 2009
• Action on Film International Film Festival: July 2009
• Dances With Films Independent Film Festival: June 2009 (World Premiere)

Awards

• Won Best Sci-fi at the Burbank International Film Festival
• Won Best Sci-fi at the Beverly Hills Shorts Festival
• Won Best Special FX at the Beverly Hills Shorts Festival
• Won Best Sound at the Beverly Hills Shorts Festival
• Won Special Achievement at the Boston Science Fiction Film Festival
• Won Best Special Effects at the Los Angeles Reel Film Festival
• Won Best Stunts at the Los Angeles Reel Film Festival
• Won Best Costume Design at the Los Angeles Reel Film Festival
• Won 2nd Place Best Short at the Los Angeles Reel Film Festival
• Won Best Special Effects at the Maverick Movie Awards
• Won Best Production Design at the Maverick Movie Awards
• Won Special Jury Award at the Nevada Film Festival
• Won Best Short at the Orlando Film Festival
• Won Filmmaker Spirit Award at the Gig Harbor Film Festival
• Won Best Sci-Fi Short at ShriekFest
• Won Audience Choice Best Sci-Fi Short at the Valley Film Festival
• Won Audience Choice Best Sci-Fi Feature at the Cinema City International Film Festival
• Won Best Science Fiction at the SkyFest Film and Script Festival
• Won Best Science Fiction at the Dragon*Con Independent Film Festival
• Won Best Costumes at the Action On Film International Film Festival
• Won the Audience Award for Best Short at its Film Festival Debut as part of Dances with Films in Hollywood, CA.