by FilmInk Staff
Australian sci-fi short film Alpha Test is now available to watch online via DUST following a successful festival run, and recent shortlisting for the AACTA Awards.
WATCH ALPHA TEST ON DUST
Written and directed by Stephen Packer and produced by Adam Camporeale via Drive-Thru Pictures, Alpha Test follows Esther, a young detective working with a holographic copy of a murder victim to solve the mystery of their death. After the experiment goes awry Esther challenges the program’s rules, triggering deeper revelations about the truth of her world. Alpha Test is a mind-bending sci-fi thriller about memory, identity and the cost of ambition.
Stephen Packer says he has become increasingly obsessed with our complicated relationship with technology and how it’s infiltrated every part of our lives.
“People are already using generative AI to recreate deceased loved ones, so I asked myself – what would it look like if we took that a step further and resurrected murder victims to solve the mystery of their death”.
Winning the Audience Award at the 2025 Adelaide Film Festival and the Screenplay award at Flickerfest 2026, Alpha Test has also resonated with audiences online, garnering over a hundred thousand views in the first week of its release on YouTube.
“Genres like sci-fi and horror offer us the ability to explore the human condition through classic cinematic tropes, and topmost in my mind when writing this was the audience experience. I wanted a film that would surprise at every turn and keep people guessing while playing with some bigger philosophical questions.”
Packer is an Australian writer/director whose work spans narrative film and commercials. His recent short Unprompted was a finalist in the relaunch of Tropfest and has since gone on to have its own moment online, generating millions of views across various platforms and seeing interest from LA.
“The response to the two films has been pretty overwhelming.” says Packer. “The shorts were always designed to be proof of concepts for bigger stories, so seeing real interest from LA production companies and managers has been really exciting.”
But now Alpha Test has another exciting development, having been shortlisted among 30 films for Best Short Film at the 2027 AACTA Awards.
“It’s such a huge honour to be shortlisted amongst an incredible cohort of talented Australian filmmakers. It’s a thrilling time for film in this country and I feel very optimistic about the future of the industry.”
Voting is now open for AACTA members to decide on the final nominees and will close on Friday 16th of October. Link to vote can be found here
