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In a war-torn near-future, three soldiers fight to survive an enviroment that is out to kill them with booby traps, snipers and something very, very different.

The Silent City is a wonderful Irish film that captures the horrors of a post-war environment perfectly.

John Vaughan says, "Starring Cillian Murphy (of Batman Begins and Sunshine fame), Oscar-nominee Rurairi Robinson shows in this visually astonishing short that through the use of both digital FX and traditional film making that it is now possible for short film makers to acheive an epic breadth and scale in their productions, even when it's lacking in most features."

As interest in the first National Irish Science Fiction Film Awards (AKA The Golden Blasters) grows, we here at Octocon HQ took a moment out from measuring our tuxedos and fabulous designer dresses to ask director John Vaughan not only what he will be wearing but a few questions about the festival itself.

Octocon: So what gave you the idea of having a film festival at Octocon?

John Vaughan: Over the past few years I've been travelling to some film festivals and I've seen some excellent genre short films - especially from Ireland. However, the main medium for exhibition is just film festivals so unlike the big budget Hollywood blockbuster very few people get to see these films. Having discussed it at length with the Octocon committee, we felt it was time to bring some of these films to the attention of the Octocon audience who we knew would enjoy and appreciate them. Hence the Golden Blasters.

O: What can we expect?

JV: Fun! The most important thing to know is that these films have been selected on the basis that they are entertaining to watch. You wouldn't believe the amount of festivals I've attended where you have to sit through a film such as the one about the perils of Growing Cabbages in northern France. Yes, such films exist. So while we've selected entries chiefly for entertainment value, it doesn't mean they don't have something to say.

O: Will the festival just be sci-fi films?

JV: No. This festival is open to the genres of horror, science fiction and fantasy. This year we are looking at a good mix of horror and science fiction with variations from alternate history to out-and-out comedy.

Nominated for a Canadian International Film Festival award in 2008 and widely acclaimed, Octocon is proud to announce our next Golden Blasters nominee, Vespers, directed and produced by David Lilley and Stephen Grey.

John Vaughan says:

"Made for just £1000, Vespers is a film which captures perfectly the spirit of British Science fiction  that has captured the imagination of readers since the 19th century. With strong references to the works of MR James, HG Wells and John Wyndham, this brilliant short portrays an alternate end of the Victorian era with a nice little sting in it's tale to boot!"