NYC gets a sci-fi film festival just as humanity seems more on the verge than ever

We live in dystopian times, so it seems appropriate that NYC is getting its first-ever sci-fi film festival early next year.

The New York Science Fiction Film Festival will debut for three days of investigation and speculation on Jan. 20-22, 2017. Though there’s nothing with “Star Wars” in the title or big-name directors like Ridley Scott, these films are A-listers in their genres and span from speculative future stories (like “Black Mirror”) to ones that take a too-close-for-comfort look at humanity.

Most of the films are short, under 20 minutes, and many are from abroad — as close as Canada, but also Finland, Spain and Bosnia among others, offering a multicultural view of our anxieties about the future. They span serious issues like dating in the age of technology that allows you to see the future (“Glimpse”), to lighter fare like a sentient avocado (“Killer Recipe”) and plunge back into existential dread with the supernatural disappearance of an ordinary girl (“Slayer A.D.”).

Zombies and UFOs also make cameos, as does a mother so overprotective that she disrupts the space-time continuum (some of you can probably relate) in “María Fernanda in Time.” There’s even a scientific documentary about a grieving professor’s work on time travel.

The three-day fest won’t set you back nearly the cost of a Comic Con ticket, either — an all-access pass is just $35, and screenings on Friday night are free.