We're not kind to Winnipeg in the rest of Canada, really we're not. Unless being referenced in some Guy Maddin film or another it mostly exists to the rest of the country - at least to us here in Toronto - as some imaginary place that we have no firm concept of beyond that it has blistering cold winters and utter mosquito madness. If I were to be honest, since Winnipeg lost its NHL team it exists here only as the butt of various jokes. Sad, but true. But those in the know will tell you that Winnipeg has a thriving art and film scene and while most of the 'pegs cinephiles seem to be of the serious sort there are the unruly children of Aston-6 lurking about in the background.

A collective of sorts that cranks out impressive, low budget trailers to movies that don't actually exist, Astron-6 exists as a sort of loving ode to the mid 80's VHS shlock era. And a major force in the Astron world is Steven Kostanski, the effects man whose work is on display in most Astron films and who is now in production on a seventeen minute short titled Heart of Karl.

Meet Karl. He's a monster. Now meet Karl's brother Max. Max is not a monster.

While there's no release date for this given just yet, there is a trailer and it's a dandy. You'll find it below the break in the Twitch Player.