South African sci-fi short Tears in the Rain wins acting award in Munich

Tears in the Rain won its Munich award in February 2017 and then had a long festival run. That run included a win for Best Horror/Thriller/Sci-Fi Short at the London Independent Film Awards on 3 March 2017. The 11-minute fan film never became part of the official Blade Runner franchise, but it is still remembered as one of the best-known unofficial prequels, and listings still carry it as a 2017 South African short. Both leads kept working: Sean Cameron Michael went on to roles in US television and earned a 2022 SAFTA nomination for Fried Barry.

The Munich win

The South African short film Tears in the Rain won the Best Acting Award at the Sci-Fi Underground Film Fest in Munich, Germany, in February 2017. The prize went to the film’s only two cast members, Sean Cameron Michael and Russel Savadier.

Sources name the prize in slightly different ways. South African trade coverage called it the Best Acting Award. The film’s own FilmFreeway entry lists it as the Munich Audience Award for Best Acting. Michael’s Wikipedia entry describes it as a Jury and Audience Best Actor Award.

The film

Tears in the Rain is an 11-minute film set in the world of Philip K. Dick’s novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? (1968) and Ridley Scott’s film Blade Runner (1982). It is an unofficial fan film. It has no link to the studios behind the franchise.

The story works as a prequel. Michael plays John Kampff, a senior engineer who runs the Tyrell Retirement Division. Savadier plays Andy Smith, a Nexus 3 replicant suspect that Kampff is hunting. The title comes from the “tears in rain” speech Rutger Hauer gives as Roy Batty near the end of Blade Runner.

What the actors said

Both actors gave the credit to the director.

“I am truly honoured to share an award with the legendary Russel Savadier. Actors are driven by passion and good storytelling, not winning awards, so all kudos must go to Chris Harvey and his team for their relentless dedication. I could not be prouder to represent South African filmmaking on a global scale,” said Michael.

“I’m absolutely thrilled. What a wonderful honour, and a real tribute to the extraordinary passion of director Chris Harvey who has worked tirelessly to make sure that the film saw the light of day,” said Savadier.

A big look on a tiny budget

Chris Harvey directed the film. He was born in Johannesburg and studied film and television production at the Motion Picture Academy of Pretoria. The film was shot in South Africa in just two days on a budget of only R20,000. International outlets such as Boing Boing put the cost at under US$1,500, which is roughly the same amount in dollars. The low budget was a big part of the story when the film went online in early 2017, because it looked much more expensive than it was.

What happened after Munich

After Munich, the film went on to a wider festival run in 2017 and 2018.

• London Independent Film Awards, 3 March 2017: Best Horror/Thriller/Sci-Fi Short, according to the film’s FilmFreeway listing.
• Other acting prizes, 2017: Michael’s awards record lists joint acting wins with Savadier at the BeFilm Underground Film Festival and the Red Corner Film Festival.
• Other honours: The filmmakers’ own listings name more awards, such as a Best Score win at the South African Independent Film Festival in 2018. These come from the team’s own pages and have less independent backing than the Munich and London wins.
• Selections: Coverage names the Jozi Film Fest, the Boston Sci-Fi Film Fest and the Philip K Dick Science Fiction Film Festival, among others.

The official sequel, Blade Runner 2049, came out in October 2017, eight months after the Munich win. It has no connection to Harvey’s short.

Where the cast went next

Sean Cameron Michael was born in Cape Town. He had already played Richard Guthrie in the Starz series Black Sails and moved to Los Angeles in 2015. After Tears in the Rain he had recurring roles in Shooter and Blood Drive and played The Ghost in the MacGyver remake. He was also nominated for Best Supporting Actor in a Feature Film at the 2022 South African Film and Television Awards (SAFTAs) for Fried Barry.

Russel Savadier is a long-established South African stage and screen actor. Michael called him “legendary” in his award statement. Harvey’s later public credits are mostly technical crew roles, and no new directing feature from him has been announced.

FAQ

Is Tears in the Rain an official Blade Runner film?

No. It is an unofficial fan film made in South Africa as a tribute to Blade Runner (1982) and Philip K. Dick’s novel. The studios behind the franchise did not make it or approve it, and it does not tie in with Blade Runner 2049.

Who won the award in Munich?

The award went to the two actors, Sean Cameron Michael and Russel Savadier, at the Sci-Fi Underground Film Fest in February 2017. The film’s FilmFreeway entry calls it the Munich Audience Award for Best Acting. South African press called it the Best Acting Award.

How much did Tears in the Rain cost to make?

South African coverage put the budget at R20,000, spent on a two-day shoot. International coverage gave the figure as under US$1,500. Both figures describe the same small budget.

Who directed the film?

Christopher Grant Harvey, credited as Chris Harvey in early coverage, directed it and wrote it with Evan James Demskey. Andrew Eric MacDonald produced it.

What does the title mean?

It comes from Roy Batty’s dying speech in Blade Runner, played by Rutger Hauer. In that speech the replicant says his memories will be lost like tears in rain. The short borrows the phrase because it is also a story about replicants and the people who hunt them.

Did the film win other awards?

Yes. The best documented is Best Horror/Thriller/Sci-Fi Short at the London Independent Film Awards on 3 March 2017. The two leads also won joint acting prizes at other underground festivals in 2017.

Sources

• Bizcommunity: Tears in the Rain wins at Sci-Fi Underground FilmFest
• TimesLIVE: South African film that cost just R20,000 to make wins sci-fi award
• FilmFreeway: Tears In The Rain
• The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction: Tears in the Rain
• Boing Boing: Spectacular Blade Runner fan film, made for less than $1,500
• Open Culture: Watch Tears in the Rain, a Blade Runner short film
• Wikipedia: Sean Cameron Michael