Savannah Electric - lo-budget obscure AI sci-fi feature film
Savannah Electric is the first science-fiction feature film ever produced in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada—a gritty, stylized Canadian dystopia niche-genre film shot on 16mm color film in the mid-1980s. Directed by Perry Mark Stratychuk, this ultra-low budget indie gem (approx. $15,000 USD) channels the spirit of spaghetti westerns with a surreal sci-fi twist: a rogue clone worker begins a half-conscious rebellion against the world’s first sentient AI.
Starring Dean V. Beckman and Jack Urbanski, with voice-over performances by Christopher Sigurdson and Anne Hodges, the film was shot in the eerie sands of Spruce Woods Provincial Park—Canada’s own desert near Brandon, Manitoba, where tank fire from a nearby military range shook the ground during production.
The electronic soundtrack was composed and performed by Tom Paterson of Cottage Industry, a Winnipeg synth-pop band later signed to Capitol Records. Savannah Electric premiered as a work-in-progress at Houston WorldFest and saw limited VHS distribution in Asia.
A cult artifact of Canadian and obscure sci-fi cinema, praised for its style, tone and potential AI future, this film remains a rare and visionary 1980s indie film exploration of identity, technology, and rebellion.
"We are talking about a beautiful, thoughtful film made with a strong and rather unique artistic vision. Perhaps some will complain that there is too much narration (although I think it's' calm, cool tone adds a nice counterpoint to the filmed images), but if offers a strong deeply imagined and very detailed glimpse of a horrible future, one which seems chillingly plausible in our day and age." - Rivets on the Poster.
"Hazily hypnotic work of low-budget/high-ambition sci-fi. An apocalyptic factory controlled by a less than omnipotent AI, clone workers going rogue when dreams disrupt VR conditioning, unstable bounty hunters and reprogrammed cyborgs. Sort of like a microbudget art-film adaptation of a Metal Hurlant story, imagery held together with narration and a very nice electronic score."
"A fascinating, and perplexing, obscure Canadian curio with a great soundtrack."
"Director Perry Stratychuk executed some excellent world building using only 16mm cameras while peppering in limited but captivating special effects." Billups Allen Lunchmeat VHS (full interview click here)
Produced, directed, photographed, and edited by Perry Mark Stratychuk
Soundtrack by Tom Paterson
Copyright 1985-2023 All Rights Reserved
Running time: 75:00
