Danielle's directorial debut is Invasion '53, a 10-minute short film about a man-eating alien who crashes a suburban cocktail party. The movie stars Jeffrey Combs (Re-Animator, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine) and was produced with Kurt Uebersax (Elf-Man, America's Most Wanted).
Message from the Director
Screenings
March 22, 2025 at 2:00 PM, 3Below Theaters, San Jose, CA, Cinequest Film Festival. Tickets.
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March 30, 2025 at 2:30 PM, Maryland Hall, Annapolis, MD, Annapolis Film Festival. Tickets.
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May 16-17, 2025, SModcastle Cinemas, Atlantic Highlands, NJ, First Contact Sci-Fi and Fantasy Film Festival. Tickets.
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May 25, 2025 at 7:00 PM, Renaissance Harborplace Hotel, Baltimore, MD, Balticon 59. Tickets.
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Invasion '53 is currently on its festival run. More screening dates will be announced soon.
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World Premiere!
Invasion ’53 had its world premiere at Cinequest Film Festival! Our team was honored to compete in this Oscar-qualifying festival. Cinequest’s legacy is the fusion of creativity and technological innovation to empower the lives of artists, audiences, and communities. We had a great time invading Silicon Valley and sharing our film with audiences for the first time.
The Invasion Continues in Maryland!
It was great to have friends, family, cast, and crew join us for our East Coast premiere at the Annapolis Film Festival.
Trailer
Pictured on this page: Jeffrey Combs, Annie Gill, John Judy, Nicole Halmos, Rick Kain, Michal Sinnott, Dan Franko, Zach Brewster-Geisz, Lisa Randazzo Kearns, Vince Eisenson, Anthony S. Johnson, Nancy Commeree, Kurt Uebersax, and Danielle Weinberg
Director's Statement
At my first meeting with our star, Jeffrey Combs, he called Invasion ’53 “a Twilight Zone haiku.” That’s a great description of what we set out to make. This short film is a sendup of the sometimes scary, sometimes campy, but always delightful sci-fi flicks of the 1950s. I set this picture during a suburban cocktail party, incorporating as many ‘50s sci-fi tropes as possible. My hope is that when the lights come down and the projector turns on, the audience is transported back to the heyday of sci-fi films and is thoroughly entertained by our Twilight Zone haiku.
—Danielle Weinberg
