Invadr May 2026 Newsletter

PULGASARI - CLASSIC MOVIE DAY EVENT

SATURDAY MAY 16th, 7:00 PM EDT

We're excited to announce our program for the National Classic Movie Day celebration, featuring a screening of the North Korean Sci-Fi classic Pulgasari, along with several selected future classics from the Brooklyn SciFi Film Festival, kicking off at 7:00 PM EDT on Saturday, May 16th, online, and free to all. Please join us and add your comments to the chat.

Classic Movie Day Event Program

7:00 PM EDT I Came From The Future - A dramatic short film directed by Dave Lojek will kick off the evening of films at 7:00 PM EDT with the story of a brooding businessman who reads his own suicide note on a roof. He ponders many questions about time travel. I Came From The Future is a film from Germany provided by Apeiron Films.

7:04 PM EDT - Saving Cycle - A Comedy SciFi short film directed by Kimberly DiPersia, and a Brooklyn SciFi Film Festival 2025 film selection, will be screened at 7:04 PM EDT - When his crush is tragically killed, Jake is presented with a rare opportunity to save endangered versions of her in alternate dimensions. 7:15 PM EDT - Deep Space Degenerates Marathon - We'll stream back-to-back episodes of our favorite Sci-Fi comedy program as a lead-in to the Pulgasari screening starting at 7:15 PM EDT, so if you haven't caught up on this series, now's your chance. And a reminder that Episode 005 – Running Out of Options premieres May 26th, streaming on YouTube. 7:45 PM EDT - Pulgasari - Our feature presentation for the evening will be the cult classic sci-fi film from North Korea. Presented and open for comments and discussion. Enjoy!

The Brooklyn SciFi Film Festival is open for Regular Deadline Film Submissions through the end of May. This year's festival is scheduled for October 5th through the 11th. As always, BSF alumni may submit for free. If you have had a film accepted to prior seasons, please reply to this email with your details to request an entry fee waiver.

As always, reply to this newsletter to get involved with the festival, ask questions or submit news. We're listening!

TOP 5 CLASSIC SCI-FI MOVIES

THE RESULTS ARE IN!
To celebrate National Classic Movie Day, we asked you to name your top five favorite classic Sci-Fi movies, limited to films prior to the year 2000. Here's the official top 5 films selected by our list members. Did yours make the list? See the full list online as part of Classic Movie Day.

#1. Blade Runner

2. Forbidden Planet

3. 2001 - A Space Odyssey

4. The Day the Earth Stood Still (1950)

5. Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1957)

See the full list online

PULGASARI

PULGASARI (1985)
Directed by Shin Sang-ok

In feudal Korea, the evil King becomes aware that there is a peasant rebellion being planned in the country. He steals all the iron farming tools and cooking pots from the people so that he may make weapons to fend off the peasant army. After he returns the property to the people, an old blacksmith is imprisoned and starved to death. His last creation is a tiny figurine of a monster- Pulgasari, a Godzilla-like creature that eats iron. The blood of his daughter brings the creature to life, and fights with the poor, starving peasants to overthrow the corrupt monarchy.

This cult-classic North Korean Godzilla knock-off, based on Korean folklore with added socialist overtones, is legendary for the production's origin story, popularized in the book A Kim Jong-Il Production by Paul Fischer. I highly recommend the book for fans of film, intrigue, and bizarre true-life stories.

Although the film is a North Korean production, director Shin Sang-ok is South Korean. North Korean dictator Jong-Il Kim was a huge fan of Shin's. At the time this film was made, North and South Korea were at war (which eventually ended in 2018 thanks to the Panmunjom Declaration). Thus, Kim had him kidnapped. Shin eventually escaped back to South Korea, but not before he had been forced to make this movie for the erratic North Korean leader. But that was not enough. The legendary Toho special effects team that worked on the original Godzilla films was brought in to make the effects by being tricked into believing they were making a film in China, and held captive during the film's production.

Pulgasari was not shown outside of North Korea or South Korea for two decades after its initial release in 1985. In the early 1990s, the North Koreans attempted to market this propaganda film to foreign countries with no success. Finally in 1998 it got its first international viewing in Japan where it gained a small cult following. It's legendary back-story is why we're choosing Pulgasari as our SciFi classic film for screening and discussion on National Classic Movie Day. Please join us for this free online screening on Saturday, May 16th at 7:00 PM EST.

Episode 005
Running Out of Options
Premieres May 26, 2026

Greggers and Zaw are trying to escape angry wedding guests. The problem? Every escape attempt causes MORE damage. Meanwhile, Lore is trapped in the endless dark alleys of the spaceport trying to find the loading dock… and things are getting weirder by the minute.

Explosions, Creepy alleys, Judgmental alien plants, Absolutely no sense of direction... Will they survive? Questionable. Watch the latest episode of Deep Space Degenerates May 26 on YouTube.

THE SCI FI BOOK CLUB MAY BOOK

Station Eleven
- Emily St. John Mandel (2014)

Our novel for June came in at a close second for contemporary picks on our survey. The story takes place around a devastating flu pandemic that threatens society as we know it. It's often cited as one of the more prophetic novels of recent times, but takes things well beyond the covid pandemic.

SciFi Book Club Meetup
Join Us Online - Sunday, June 28 - 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM EDT

More About the Book:

From Grimdark Magazine, "Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel takes the best parts of the dystopian science fiction and fantasy genre and does one thing most books can't, give the reader hope." I really like the way A Little Book Problem's review describes the tone. "The book is a beautiful, heart-wrenching and moving exploration of what is important to us in life, what we would hang on to in a world when almost everything we know and care about is torn away, and what kind of people we discover we are in the face of great adversity."

Station Eleven shows how science fiction isn't just about the future. It's about how we live today, and the threads that connect us all. It's a celebration of the arts and bound to be a great conversation. I look forward to discussing this one with you!

To join a Book Club meeting, all you will need is YOURSELF. If you haven't had a chance to finish the book, we still would love for you to join us in the discussion. Not able to join us in person for events? The Sci Fi Book Club is on Discord. Join us and keep the conversation going.

INVADR PODCAST - STREAMING THIS SUMMER

Submit Your Project For Consideration

Starting this summer, Brooklyn SciFi will launch a series of filmmaker profiles in 15-minute video interviews. We would love to hear from filmmakers and authors to discuss their latest work. Email us to pitch your project and schedule an interview.

INTRODUCING CYBER CLUB!
A Digital Community For Independent Film

Brooklyn SciFi and the team at Cyber-NY are working on something new. We're building an independent network for film professionals to share and monetize their work while connecting with fans. Our hope is to create a community with a year-round presence that encourages collaboration and the development of an independent streaming platform.

We're looking for intrepid filmmakers to join our beta for free by creating an account profile and uploading several films they're okay with sharing. We won't make your work public without prior consent, and our admin tools allow for self-management and deletion of videos.

We hope you'll join us on this journey as we navigate the changing landscape of art house cinema and independent film. Please sign up for our private beta if you're interested, or reply to this email with questions.

The Brooklyn SciFi Film Festival is
Now Open For Submissions For 2026
Submit Your Film Now and Save Before Late Submissions

Brooklyn SciFi is Built and Hosted on Logic CMX.

Logic CMX is the cloud-based platform for creators, distributors, and festivals. Promote, sell, and stream. All with one platform built for independent creators. Learn more at Logic CMX.