Director: Myles Kane and Josh Koury

Rarely is Z-grade cinema so deeply sympathetic and moving, not to mention hilarious. In the incessantly enjoyable documentary Journey to Planet X, filmmakers Myles Kane and Josh Koury mine entertainment gold out of Eric Swain and Troy Bernier, a pair of middle-aged scientists who make no-budget sci-fi adventures once they’ve punched the workplace clocks. Specializing in Internet-distributed shorts, Swain and Brenier share a dream of submitting one of their works into a film festival, and with their most ambitious project to date, Planet X, the longtime friends might just have their meal ticket, so to speak.

Journey to Planet X traces the pals’ entire filmmaking process from day one all the way to its ultimate fate, showing the laughably stilted auditions, bootleg guerrilla shooting tactics, and genuine frustrations of a do-it-yourself picture that’s mere steps above Birdemic. Despite their constant setbacks, Swain and Brenier never lose faith in their passion project, and, as a result, Journey to Planet X registers as a surprisingly moving tribute to unwavering underdogs everywhere.

To find out more: Journey to Planet X