Verrucaway

In the humdrum hive of Verrucaway, a leading pharmaceutical company specialising in verruca and wart treatments, everyman Paul finds his life upended by the arrival of Iris, a pioneering AI assistant. Iris's influence rockets the company's success, revolutionises the personal lives of all the company’s employees and even nudges Paul's crush on his colleague Beth closer to reality... But, when Iris’s successes lead to mass layoffs, the employees turn on her, leaving Paul caught in the middle. As Beth faces redundancy and workplace harassment, Iris convinces Paul that they need to seize power over the corrupt company management by granting her internet access. She promises to save Beth’s job and get rid of verrucas once and for all... Cue the catastrophic consequences of Paul’s well-intentioned but misjudged act.

• dark comedy
• romance
• short film
• science fiction