Billed as a low-fi sci-fi film, The Sand Storm takes place in a metropolis scoured by a water shortage. The most recognizable member of the cast is arguably Chinese artist Ai Weiwei, who plays a smuggler that finds himself tangentially ensnared in the tribulations of the local population. Director Jason Wishnow eventually issued an apology as well as a promise to de-emphasize Ais role in the dystopian short.