I remember leaving the theater after seeing Sleep Dealer at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival, convinced that Alex Rivera could be the next George Lucas (you can read my full review here). I was amazed at what this Spanish-language low budget sci-fi indie was able to accomplish.  Watch the trailer below.

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Set in a future where people can plug into a global computer network using installed body modified holes that tap in their nervous system. The U.S. has installed a wall along the Mexican boarder, but the country still allows outsourcing through node workers who plug in and control remote control robots. A private company has hijacked control of a small Mexican village’s water supply, selling it back to them at a higher price. Memo Cruz is a young man living in this isolated non-tech village, with dreams of working in high-tech factories up north. One day he builds a transmitter that allows him to tap into signals from around the world. But when this transmission is intercepted, it changes his life forever.

Sleep Dealer is scheduled to hit theaters in 2009. Rumor has it, in February.