‘Alien: Harvest’ by Benjamin Howdeshell

The surviving crew of a damaged deep-space harvester have minutes to reach the emergency evacuation shuttle. A motion sensor is their only navigation tool leading them to safety while a creature in the shadows terrorizes the crew. However, the greatest threat might have been hiding in plain sight all along.  

Credits

Directed by – Benjamin Howdeshell

Written by – Craig Dewey

Based on the Alien characters created by – Dan O’Bannon and Ronald Shusett

Produced by – Shawn Wallace

Associate Producer – Jeff Fuller

Director of Photography – Chris Saul

Edited by – Jake Shaver

VFX Supervisor – Dmitry Tokoyakov

Original Alien Creature Design by – H.R. Giger

Mari – Agnes Albright

Hannah – Jessica Clark

Alec – Adam Sinclair

Sturgis – James C. Burns

Xenomorph – Alex Ward

Ship’s Computer – Heather Foster

Captain Laurel Tooms – Michelle Falanga

About the Director

Benjamin Howdeshell grew up as a study in contrasts with the gift of an unexpected turn of events. Raised in Wyoming, he was the firstborn son of an immigrant mother, whose determination powered her from an island in the Philippines to a well-respected psychiatrist, and an Iowa farm boy, who pursued his passion toward a Ph.D. in chemistry. From an early age, Benjamin was either skiing or making movies. He made an endless array of films with his friends and enjoyed local celebrity in his mountain town as a nationally ranked alpine skier and the Wyoming State Champion. When a skiing accident derailed his budding Olympic dreams, he opted for a drastic change with a move to New York. He began taking ballet classes and found his way toward a brief career as a professional dancer. But the desire for filmmaking lingered, and he decided college would be the best way to get back on that track. His now impressive dance background provided a scholarship to Butler University in Indiana. Upon graduation, he landed an internship at Robert De Niro’s production company which led to a job at Dustin Hoffman’s production company, with stints at various other film-related entities soon after, where he learned all aspects of his chosen craft.

After bouncing between New York and L.A., Ben’s friendship with actress Milla Jovovich helped get his foot in the door as a member of the post-production team for her blockbuster Resident Evil: Apocalypse. Since then, Ben has edited and contributed VFX work for several features and TV shows. He also wrote and directed his own action horror short film Project: S.E.R.A, which went on to become an award-winning streaming series for IGN and 20th Century Fox. 

Ben has used his unique experience and sensibilities to create visually powerful stories in every format, from creating and directing commercials for brands such as Anheuser-Busch, HP, Budweiser and Doritos, to his most recent foray into the world of music videos, directing the horror film/music video mashup for Parcels “Withorwithout.” This project was especially poignant for him, as he had come full circle to direct Milla, whom he credits with giving him his first real opportunity in filmmaking years ago.

Two feature scripts that Ben is also developing showcase his ability to work lean and mean. Shadow, a horror film written by Mike Doyle, follows a man resuscitated after being dead for minutes, only to discover that he is now being haunted by his own ghost. Balance, written by Craig Dewey, is a sci-fi thriller about a chemist who volunteers for a secret expedition into the unknown, a journey no man has previously survived. No matter the scope of the project, Ben always crafts stories with premium visuals and a distinct point of view.

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