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
November 14-16, 2025, Grand Rapids Comic-Con Film Festival, DeVos Place, Grand Rapids, MI. Tickets.
November 7, 2025, YIKES! Film Festival, 7:00 PM, The Creative Hive, Edmonton, AB. Tickets.
November 5-9, 2025, Anomaly - The Rochester Genre Film Festival, The Little Theatre, Rochester, NY. Tickets.
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November 1, 2025, Island of Horror Film Festival, 1:00-9:00 PM, Todd Performing Arts Center, Wye Mills, MD. Tickets.
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October 31, 2025, The Outer Rim International Science Fiction Film Festival, 6:00 PM, Creative Alliance, Baltimore, MD. Tickets.
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October 26, 2025, Cosmic Holler Film Festival, 11:00 AM, Cinema at Camp Landing, Ashland, KY. Tickets.
October 25, 2025, Rocket City Short Film Festival, 7:50 PM, Studio Huntsville, Huntsville, AL. Tickets.
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October 19, 2025, Black Bear Film Festival, 1:15 PM, Milford Theater, Milford, PA. Tickets.
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October 12, 2025, Chesapeake Film Festival, Noon, Ebenezer Theater, Easton, MD. Tickets.
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October 11, 2025, Wilmington International Film Festival, 8:00 PM, The Delaware Contemporary, Wilmington, DE. Tickets.
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October 5, 2025, Sydney Science Fiction Film Festival, 3:30 PM, Event Cinemas George Street, Sydney, Australia. Tickets.
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October 4, 2025, The Minnesota Genre Film Exposition, 8:35 PM, AMC Rosedale 14, Roseville, MN. Tickets.
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October 4, 2025, Sioux City International Film Festival, 2:00 PM, RE/MAX City Centre, Sioux City, IA. Tickets.
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September 26, 2025, Cinema Scares Film Festival, 8:00 PM, Strand Theatre, Shelbyville, IN. Tickets.
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September 26, 2025, Richmond International Film Festival, 7:15 PM, Byrd Theatre, Richmond, VA. Tickets.
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August 31, 2025, GenreBlast, 11:00 AM, Alamo Drafthouse Cinema, Winchester, VA. Tickets.​
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August 13, 2025, Seattle Worldcon 2025, 6:00 PM, Seattle Convention Center, Seattle, WA. Tickets.
July 25, 2025, Comic-Con International Independent Film Festival, 8:30-8:50 PM, Marriott Marquis Grand Ballroom 6, Comic-Con International, San Diego, CA. SDCC badges are required.
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July 12, 2025, ConGregate 11, 1:00-3:30 PM, Downtown Marriott, Winston-Salem, NC. Tickets.
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June 21, 2025, MisCon 39: Hive of Scum and Villainy, 5:00 PM, Missoula Fairgrounds, Missoula, MT. Tickets.
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May 25, 2025, Balticon 59, 7:00 PM, Renaissance Harborplace Hotel, Baltimore, MD. Tickets.
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May 17, 2025, McMinnville Sci-Fi Film Festival (at the world's 2nd-largest UFO festival!), 7:00 PM, Reel Hollywood Video, McMinnville, OR. Tickets.
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May 16, 2025, First Contact Sci-Fi and Fantasy Film Festival, 9:40 PM, SModcastle Cinemas, Atlantic Highlands, NJ. Tickets.
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March 30, 2025, Annapolis Film Festival, 2:30 PM, Maryland Hall, Annapolis, MD. Tickets.
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March 22, 2025, Cinequest Film Festival, 2:00 PM, 3Below Theaters, San Jose, CA. Tickets.​​
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Invasion '53 is currently on its festival run. More screening dates will be announced soon.
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Invasion '53 Lands at Comic-Con!
When Danielle set out to make Invasion ’53, from the very beginning, there was one place she dreamed of showing the film: Comic-Con.
On July 25, Invasion ’53 screened at Comic-Con! Danielle participated in a panel afterward, discussing the making of the film.
Art by Vince Alvendia
Award Winner!
Invasion '53 picked up its first awards at the First Contact Sci-Fi and Fantasy Film Festival, winning three Harvey Awards for Best Actor (Jeffrey Combs), Best Screenplay (Danielle Weinberg), and Best Set Design. Since then, the movie has won:
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Best Sci-Fi Comedy (ConGregate Film Festival)
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Best Short Film (Seattle Worldcon)
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Best Regional Short Film (GenreBlast)
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Best Actor - Short Film for Jeffrey Combs (Sydney Science Fiction Film Festival)
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Best Comedy Short Film (Chesapeake Film Festival)
Invading Maryland!
It was great to have friends, family, cast, and crew join us for our East Coast premiere at the Annapolis Film Festival. That selection led to an invitation to screen at Balticon 59. We returned to Maryland for The Outer Rim and the Chesapeake Film Festival.
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.
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