9 Awesome Movies That Started Out As Short Films
3. District 9 (AKA Alive In Joburg)
It didn’t take long for genre fans to turn against Neill Blomkamp. He came onto the scene with the impressive District 9, but Elysium disappointed many and we’re still trying to figure out what the hell he was attempting with Chappie. His plan to retcon Alien 3 and Resurrection out of existence with his proposed Alien sequel isn't making him any fans either.
This brings us back to District 9, which was an undeniably fresh and creative sci-fi film. The movie was based on a short he made in 2006 called Alive In Joburg, which was a mock documentary about aliens landing in Johannesburg in 1990, and how the country reacts to them.
It’s a not so subtle commentary on apartheid, but the creative format and inventive visual effects make it work. The short was produced by Sharlto Copley, who would later become District 9’s leading man. The movie is the better version of this story, but the short acts as a nice prequel to the concept.