<p>After a successful international film festival run, "The Control" is coming home to Windsor.</p>

<p>The Windsor-shot sci-fi thriller is the only new locally produced feature film to be playing at WIFF.</p>

<p>"It's fun for local Windsorites to see and try to recognize, almost like a Where's Waldo of all of these different locations and people,” says co-director Michael Stasko. “So when we go show it in France they don't realize ‘Oh that's Ojibway Park in the background.’ They just see it as a park."</p>

<p>The Dot Film Company flick was produced, co-written, and co-directed by Stasko and Eric Schiller, both from Windsor.</p>

<p>Stasko, Schiller and fellow Windsorite and producer Theodore Bezaire, have worked together on several other films, including Things to Do(2006),&nbsp;Iodine(2009),&nbsp;The Birder(2013), and the upcoming&nbsp;Boys vs. Girls, which is coming 2019.</p>

<p>The Control&nbsp;follows Mike, a brilliant programmer, and Eric, a morally questionable neurochemist, as they attempt to create a game-changing VR multiverse, backed by a mysterious corporation with plans to colonize space.</p>

<p>But as Mike and Eric perfect their immersive dream machine, it becomes harder and harder to know what is real, and what is an illusion.</p>

<p>"Basically it's about two scientists who are trying to create a cutting edge virtual reality system in order to send hibernating astronauts to distant planets," says Stasko.</p>

<p>The film has already earned several accolades.</p>

<p>It premiered at WorldFest Houston, where it won a&nbsp;Platinum Remi award. It also played Motor City Nightmares in Detroit where it won&nbsp;Best Sci-Fi Feature. &nbsp;</p>

<p>At the International Filmmaker Festival in Nice, France, it won&nbsp;Best Director(s)(Stasko/Schiller) and&nbsp;Best Lead Actress(Sharon Belle). It has also played at Montreal World Film Festival, Toronto Indie Film Fest and Great Lakes International Film Festival.</p>

<p>"It hits a certain niche, but the niche that it hits it hits really hard,” says Stasko.</p>

<p>Showtime is 9:15 p.m. Monday at the Chrysler theatre.</p>
