Synopsis: (Science Fiction) In the distant future, James is the last human on Earth. He is raised and protected by a humanoid robot, the Machine, who brings him up on a strange composite religion described in a handheld device called The Manual.

Cast: JJ Johnston, Lauren Emery

Crew: Writer: Wil Magness; Producers: Sara Magness, Stacy Lorts; Kevin Fletcher (DP)

Production Background & Fun Facts: DIRECTOR'S STATEMENT: I think the greatest opportunity in science fiction is the ability to place a character in a world that purposefully emphasizes and punctuates an aspect of the human condition. Many of us struggle with loneliness and isolation while surrounded by the people we love. As humans with self-consciousness, we each have our own world that only we inhabit. The world inside our heads. It isn't possible for anyone to really join us in our minds, no matter how hard we strive for connection. In The Manual we took these feelings to a literal place by making our protagonist the only person left on Earth, who struggles to connect with his origins through a Machine. In this environment, The Manual explores the transition that many of us make from a worldview shaped by parents and religion to a worldview of our own construction, based on personal experience. This perspective shift in my own life involved an existential struggle that, for the most part, I had to endure alone. This is what The Manual is about for me. It is discovering your position in space and time, reconciling who you are, where you come from, and the fact that it will all end eventually.

Festivals & Accolades: Rome International Film Festival

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The Manual - Teaser Trailer from Wil Magness on Vimeo.