Defy Media Chooses Sci-Fi Thriller As Winner Of ‘Prototype’ Contest

A 19-month-old filmmaking competition has finally selected its champion. Defy Media and New Regency have selected a sci-fi short film called Polis as the winner of their ‘Prototype’ contest.

Polis, directed by Steven Ilous and written by Daniel Perea, is set inside a futuristic city in which a young, telepathic hero must wield his power to search for his mother. Ilous’ previous credits include the two Matrix sequels, and that experience is relevant to Polis, in which dazzling special effects are the biggest draw. The five-and-a-half minute short, which was made on a $20,000 budget, can be viewed Defy Media’s Escapist Movies channel:

By winning first place in Prototype, the Polis team earns a feature film development deal with New Regency. “We were overwhelmed by the degree of talent that we found through the ‘Prototype’ competition and it was a challenge to select just one winner,” said Pam Abdy, New Regency’s president of production, in a release. “As a company that puts a premium on the strength of our filmmaker partnerships, we are excited to have found the emerging talent of Steven and Daniel through this process and can’t wait to see what they create next.”

Prototype was launched by Break Media and New Regency June 2013, and since then, a lot has changed for the two companies behind the competition. Break merged with Alloy Digital to form Defy Media, while New Regency produced a number of critically-acclaimed films, including 12 Years a Slave, Birdman, and Gone Girl.

In addition to Prototype, Defy Media is getting into the movie production business itself. Higher Power, an action-thriller feature film produced by the digital media company, is currently in the works.