DOUBLE IMPACT: FIVE BY FIVE & ECHO 8 BEYOND ARE HEADING TO NEW YORK!

It’s official — both Five By Five and Echo 8 Beyond have been selected for the 2026 Urban Action Showcase International Action Film Festival in New York City!

📍 Regal Times Square, New York City
📅 November 14, 2026

From the suburbs of Western Sydney to the big screen in Times Square, this is another major milestone for our independently built Echo 8 universe.

🎥 One Film Became Three

What started with Echo 8 — an action feature made for just $6,500 USD — eventually grew into an entire independently produced trilogy.

Rather than waiting for a traditional studio or major investor to give us the green light, we went back to our community.

Through crowdfunding, collaboration and a lot of resourcefulness, we created the official prequel Five By Five and sequel Echo 8 Beyond for approximately $18,000 USD each.

Both films were shot independently in Western Sydney, Australia, with a community-powered cast and crew and an emphasis on practical action, martial arts and character-driven storytelling.

And now, both films are heading to New York City.

🥋 Independent Action on the Big Screen

Having the two films selected for the Urban Action Showcase International Action Film Festival feels particularly fitting.

The festival celebrates action filmmaking, martial arts, stunt performers and independent creators — the very world that helped inspire the Echo 8 Trilogy.

On November 14, Five By Five and Echo 8 Beyond will make their way to Regal Times Square, putting our little Western Sydney action universe on a New York cinema screen.

For films created on microbudgets, that means a lot.

🔥 FIVE BY FIVE — Before Echo 8

Five By Five takes audiences back before the events of Echo 8, expanding the characters, relationships and world that ultimately lead into the original film.

It was created for approximately $18K USD — proof that scale doesn't always have to come from money. Sometimes it comes from planning, collaboration, creativity and people willing to believe in an idea.

⚡ ECHO 8 BEYOND — The Story Continues

Then comes Echo 8 Beyond, the sequel that pushes the story forward and expands the action universe beyond the original film.

Like Five By Five, it was made for approximately $18K USD, continuing our approach of doing as much as possible with the resources available to us.

Together, the three films represent years of filmmaking, problem-solving, crowdfunding, martial arts, experimentation and community collaboration.

🌏 Western Sydney → New York City

There was no giant studio behind these films.

There wasn't a multimillion-dollar production budget.

There was an idea, a community and a determination to keep making.

That’s what makes this moment special.

$6.5K original feature.
$18K prequel.
$18K sequel.
Three films.
One independently built action universe.

And now two chapters are heading to Times Square, New York City.

See you November 14. 🗽🥋🎬

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