Panic Attack! The Youtube Short That’s Taking Over Hollywood

When Federico “Fede” Alvarez came to Hollywood two weeks ago, he was a total unknown…. But he had made this incredible short film, laden with explosions, panicked crowds, and giant robots, that he’d put on Youtube.  Thanks to the video, in a matter of days, the young Uruguayan filmmaker had the kind of amazing movie deal that would seem far-fetched, “even by “Entourage”standards” as entertainment writer Patrick Goldstein put it.

Mandate Pictures agreed to bankroll a $30-million upcoming film for Alvarez, and pay him — a first-time feature director — a cool $1 million director’s fee. Moreover, Sam Raimi, director of the “Spiderman” series, will come on to mentor the young director, much like Peter Jackson did with Neil Blomkamp for “District 9,” this summer’s blockbuster hit.

Alvarez also made the rounds of the talent agencies and ended up leaving town with a CAA agent team as well as a deal with Anonymous Content to represent him for commercials. Alvarez is currently developing a feature-length script with a screenwriter to

So, what made “Panic Attack!” so special? Well, check it out for yourself: