Is Ricardo de Montreuil the Next Latino Maverick Filmmaker?

A Screen-capture from THE RAVEN.

It can be argued that horror and science fiction are two wings of the same bird. That being the case, we thought it was definately worth a few keystrokes to bring to your attendtion an amazing, short, sci-fi film that has been setting the Internet on fire for the last few days. Perubian-born Ricardo de Montreuil's short film, THE RAVEN, has only been in release online for just a few days, but it has already gone highly viral on the two platforms on which it has been released - Youtube and Vimeo. And it's starting to capture the imagination of the diehard fanboy sect, sci-fi aficionados, and spreading out widely from there to the oak desks of Hollywood's gated community. It won't be long before Montreuil is shooting the feature-length version. Guaranteed.

Set in an alternate and futuristic Los Angeles, a man possesses a power that could lead to the destruction of the current regime, and they will stop at nothing to destroy him.

The filmmakers of THE RAVEN (shot on the RED in just one weekend for $5,000) seem to have forgone the film festival route altogether and chosen instead to release it directly on the Internet (a move which seems to be paying off in spades). The CGI effects are spot on and the production and action sequences are flawless. Could Montreuil be the next self-made maverick filmmaker ala Robert Rodríguez?

The film's website is a case study in straight-to-the-point marketing. You won't find a long-winded synopis, inflated bios (where mere mortals can bend steel with their hands), or a director's statement that reads like a curatorial dissertation - just the work to speak for itself. In fact, the only thing you'll find on the site is a splash page with the film's title and a simple but fitting visual, the director's name, and one simple instruction: "CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE FILM."

And following in that maxim, here it is folks, for your viewing pleasure -

The complete short film - THE RAVEN.

Screen-captures from THE RAVEN.

And while we were on the subject, it struck us that we are seeing more Latinos throwing their hats into the genre's ring in recent years. So, look out for a piece we're calling "Science Frituras (sci-fry)" - coined here first - where we pose the question: Are Latinos finally making the long migration to science fiction?