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Texas Strange

After two months on a distant planet, John Thurston returns to his ragtag crew of criminals and thieves. He expects a heroes welcome...instead they've held themselves a vote.

  • Justin Eugene Evans
    Director
  • Justin Eugene Evans
    Writer
  • Justin Eugene Evans
    Producer
  • Jason R. Moore
    Key Cast
    "John Thurston"
    Marvel's The Punisher, Netflix's First Kill
  • Michael B. Tabb
    Key Cast
    "Sam Spurlock"
  • Adam Dunnells
    Key Cast
    "Sep Spurlock"
  • Luis Caffesse
    Cinematographer
  • Alexander Arntzen
    Composer
  • Danilo Crnogorac, DA
    Sound Designer
  • Annie Caps-Wightman
    Visual Effects
  • Hussam Eissa
    Visual Effects
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Genres:
    Sci-Fi, Western, Comedy
  • Runtime:
    9 minutes 23 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    March 21, 2025
  • Production Budget:
    20,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital, BMPCC
  • Aspect Ratio:
    1:2.39
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Digital Cinema Package:
    Unavailable
Director Biography - Justin Eugene Evans

Justin Eugene Evans' film, A Lonely Place For Dying, was accepted in 46 film festivals, and garnered 53 nominations and 29 awards including 18 for best feature film. Justin then took a leave of absence from filmmaking for 8 years to invent a new type of lighting system, now known as Anthem One.

His second film, a science fiction short film entitled Honor Among Thieves, was accepted in 108 film festivals and earned 80 nominations and 40 awards including 20 for best short film.
He sold Anthem One in 2021 and took another leave of absence to create EvansWerks, Inc., a privately held Research & Development company.

His third film, a comedy sci-fi western entitled Texas Strange, is currently touring film festivals around the world. Texas Strange was lit using Justin's latest invention, the Nairobi Universal Lighting System.

Justin's engineering skills include mechanical, electrical, mechatronic, optical, thermodynamics, software and applied quantum mechanics. He worked in 18 factories throughout China to teach himself the fundamentals of modern manufacturing. He taught himself basic Mandarin so he could navigate the world of Chinese and Southeast Asian manufacturing.

Justin splits his time between invention, comics and filmmaking. He resides in Taipei, Taiwan, and Cape Town, South Africa.

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Director Statement

I saw Star Wars in a Honolulu two-plex when I was four...and that hooked me. I love film. I love visual storytelling. I love everything about the craft of filmmaking. But, as an Autistic adult, the film industry is particularly difficult to navigate. Social skills are valued above filmmaking skills. This means I've always been stuck outside the system...any system.

For me to make a movie, I needed to invent my own equipment...equipment that allow a very tiny team to make studio-quality motion pictures. And the #1 "thing" that makes an independent film FEEL "indie" is the lighting.

I invented Nairobi, an innovative lighting system, to duplicate the "Roger Deakins look" while simultaneously reducing the crew size. And, I created the short film, Texas Strange, to scientifically prove this point.

Texas Strange is a ten minute short film created by seven people in just 2.5 nights under the most horrific weather conditions. Our tiny team suffered sandstorms with 75MPH winds and subzero night time temperatures. And despite all our setbacks, we finished ahead of schedule.

The music, acting, visual effects, set decoration, costumes, editing and dialogue are all crafted by a team so small, we'd all fit in a single mini-van. And in a world that has become dark and cynical, we deliberately made a movie that is light hearted and fun.

Most importantly, we hope it makes fellow filmmakers ask themselves “Wait…independent film can look as expensive as a studio film but still be TRULY independent?”

We hope you enjoy Texas Strange not just for what it is, but that it symbolizes something bigger. That an Autistic individual decided to invent his own lighting system that can light 30 story buildings with nothing more than a camping battery.