Star Wars: Renaissance

Star Wars: Renaissance
Director(s)	Inti Carrizo-Ortiz
Producer(s)	Andrés Martínez
Writer(s)	Inti Carrizo-Ortiz
Starring	Jorge Durán; Pablo Roldán; José Allende
Released	March 3, 2009
Runtime	30 min
Timeline	17 BBY
Era	Rise of the Empire era

"Star Wars: Renaissance" (original title: "Renacimiento") is a fan film created by the Chilean crew "Estudio 19/Droi-D", based on the Star Wars universe, and directed by local filmmaker Inti Carrizo-Ortiz. The plot, set two years after the events of Revenge of the Sith, tells the story of two Clone Wars veterans: a maverick Jedi Knight and leader of a subversive cell called "The Renaissance Group", and his former brother-in-arms, a dogmatic warrior turned into an Imperial Executor out of blind loyalty. The film premiered on November 2, 2008 at the FIXION-SARS Fantasy, Sci-Fi and Terror Film Festival^[1], and released on-line on March 3, 2009.

With no defined budget, "Star Wars: Renaissance" was financed with "more creativity than money"^[2], using voluntary cooperations and work during the three-year long process of creating the 200 SFX shots needed in the film.^[3] During this time, it was closely covered by national mainstream media from Chile^[4], as well as followed by spanish and english-language fans alike from around the world, including Perú and Spain among others.^[5]^[6] The short-film quotes heavily on Expanded Universe material, both visually and story-wise.

Opening crawl

RENAISSANCE

Blood is scattered across the Galaxy. 
Two years have passed since the 
activation of ORDER 66 and the Army 
of the evil EMPEROR PALPATINE imposes
his will over the once glorious 
Galactic Republic.

Swearing blind loyalty to the old and 
corrupt Supreme Chancellor a handful 
of Jedi Knights, now under the title of
IMPERIAL EXECUTORS, have begun to hunt 
for their old battle comrades, now 
called enemies of the Republic.

Chased at the heart of the Middle Rim, 
a group of renegade guardians of peace 
and justice and a brave mercenary seek 
for a shelter to free them from 
extermination and oblivion…

Plot

"Come. It is time to be one with The Force."

―Imperial Executor Drellis^[src]

The RevoStar 7, an YT-1500 light freighter, arrives at the Fondor Shipyards carrying a group of fugitive Jedi: young Kudan Reikull and his Master Nagai Dan, Jedi healer Siddhis Bellatrix, a second female Jedi and her newborn child, and their leader: Keyor Alleguis. Guided by a mercenary, they seek sanctuary on the industrial planet on their way to Alderaan, following a secret message stored in R2-D2 by Senator Bail Organa, and causing the anger of the Fondor Regent, Twi'lek Andros Sunfader. Moments later, Imperial Executor Drellis emerges from hyperspace onboard his Tector-class Star Destroyer Flagship, the Averno. Darth Vader warns Drellis to "deal with the Jedi but to bring the mercenary alive to him", but the Executor promises him nothing. The Empire lands on Fondor City, deploying a new prototype of Stormtrooper armor. Sunfader and his aide are the first casualties of the invasion.

Below the Regent's Palace, the hidden Jedi discuss their fate. The battle rages outside and Keyor insists to stop hidding and fight, but Master Dan urges them to think clearly and get to the coast, where a transport to Alderaan awaits. At that moment, Drellis emerges from the shadows. Keyor recognizes his old comrade and challanges him, but Nagai Dan and Siddhis Bellatrix stand in the battle instead. Nevertheless, they are not match for the skilled Executor, and Siddhis is defeated. The remaining Jedi attack, but Drellis repels them using the Jar'Kai double-wielding lightsaber technique. Master Dan orders his former padawan Kudan

to leave with the mercenary, the mother and her baby just before being killed by the Executor. Keyor and Drellis are finally face to face, which brings memories to the former Knight of their old adventures together during the Battle of Boz Pity.

Kudan and the rest of "The Renaissance Group" escapes to the factories, where Fondorian Captain Tarius Alerios guides his troops against the Imperial forces. At the request of Darth Vader, who doesn't trust on Drellis, Boba Fett arrives to the battlefield to hunt the mercenary. Kudan stands on his way and tells the mercenary to go with the young Jedi and her baby. The Jedi and the bounty hunter battle but the Knight is disintegrated by a Thermal detonator. Meanwhile, Keyor and Drellis duel to death, until the Executor confesses to have murdered their mutual Master on Coruscant as a "punishment for his crimes to the Republic". Saddened, Keyor reminds him that he once "was a Jedi" too, but Drellis explodes by the mere sound of the word. He finally overpowers the leader of the resistance, who calmly meditates in The Force before been decapitated by his old brother-in-arms. Having terminated the Jedi, Drellis walks away with remorse.

The mercenary leaves the young Jedi mother onboard a Fondoria F-1 Speeder on route to the coast and returns to help his friends, but finally is intercepted by Boba Fett, who identifies him as Kitster Chanchani Banai. Banai and the bounty hunter fight with their bare hands, but Fett tricks Kitster with a stun device. Boba takes Kitster to Darth Vader, who tortures and interrogates the mercenary. When asked why he helped the Jedi, Banai replies: "for a friend", and tells him the story of a little boy he grew up with on Tatooine as slaves, but left to be a Jedi. Vader asks if the name of the boy was Anakin Skywalker, and painfully confesses that "he killed him" long ago. Kitster faces the Dark Lord but is struck down by his lightsaber. Full of grief, Vader whispers: "I'm sorry, old friend."

While the Empire takes Fondor, the lonesome mother, called Nefer Jade, awaits on the coast. When the transport to Alderaan has to leave, she asks the Pilot to take her daughter with him and to never reveal her where she came from, murmuring: "Farewell, Mara."

Main cast

Actor/Actress	Role
Jorge Durán	Keyor Alleguis
Pablo Roldán	Executor Drellis
José Allende	Kitster Banai
Consuelo Vásquez	Nefer Jade
Michel Ripetti	Nagai Dan / Boba Fett
Rodrigo Osorio	Kudan Reikull
Erika Moreno	Sidhiss Bellatrix
Rodrigo Heredia	Darth Vader
Deijan Torrealba	Mara Jade
Juan Maulén	Regent Sunfader
Moisés López	Captain Tarius Alerios
Rodrigo Cacéres	Commander Prothero
Carlo Ripetti	Captain Kyarth
Mauricio Muñoz	Stormtrooper
Cristian Cabrera	Phillon Kai

Production and release

SWRRayPark — Ray Park supporting the project.

Filming started on 2005 at locations in Santiago, Chile and the O'Higgins Region and lasted for nearly six months^[7]. During post-production, Darth Vader's voice was provided by spanish-language voiceover legend Sandro Larenas^[8]. Release was planned to happen in 2007^[9], but technical difficulties delayed it for a complete year. During and after its release, several Star Wars artists supported the project, including Ramón F. Bachs^[10], Ray Park^[11] and Alan Dean Foster^[12].

On its first two weeks on-line on its Official Site, the 30 minutes-long piece was watched nearly 16.000 times, including its english-subtitled version ^[13], with "Clone Wars" TV Series screenwritter Henry Gilroy calling it “a great little piece of storytelling"^[14]. On May, 2009, "Star Wars: Renaissance" was invited by the organization of Star Wars: The Exhibition to participate on the exhibit tour while on Chile, and the short-film was proyected just steps away from the original pieces of the saga.^[15]^[16]

Besides the original John Williams' scored version, a special-length, royalty-free scored edition for the English viewers, dubbed "Renaissance (REDUX)", was released on the project's Youtube Channel^[17], along with a series of E-books based on the short-film, including an official novelization.^[18]

External links

Official Site (Available on english, spanish and portuguese)
Renaissance at Facebook
Official Youtube Channel

Notes and references

[1] ttp://www.viax.cl/?p=4062

[2] ttp://www.renacimientofilm.com/sp/video/chilevision.htm

[3] ttp://www.emol.com/noticias/magazine/detalle/detallenoticias.asp?idnoticia=257005

[4] ttp://www.renacimientofilm.com/en/en_prensa.htm

[5] ttp://www.cinefantastico.com/articulo.php?id=24

[6] ttp://www.swradioperu.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=107:s03e09&catid=42:swrp&Itemid=91

[7] ttp://www.renacimientofilm.com/en/news/nota05.htm

[8] ttp://www.emol.com/noticias/magazine/detalle/detallenoticias.asp?idnoticia=257005

[9] ttp://www.emol.com/noticias/magazine/detalle/detallenoticias.asp?idnoticia=257005

[10] ttp://www.renacimientofilm.com/en/news/nota07.htm

[11] ttp://www.renacimientofilm.com/en/news/nota11.htm

[12] ttp://www.renacimientofilm.com/en/news/nota13.htmt

[13] ttp://www.renacimientofilm.com/sp/news/nota16.htm

[14] ttp://www.renacimientofilm.com/sp/news/nota16.htm

[15] ttp://www.estarwares.com/2009/05/la-muestra-de-los-fans-en-star-wars-the-exhibition/

[16] ttp://www.renacimientofilm.com/sp/news/nota16.htm

[17] ttp://www.youtube.com/renacimientofilm

[18] ttp://www.renacimientofilm.com/sp/sp_novela.htm

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