Impossible Dreams
"Impossible Dreams" is a science fiction short story written in 2006 by Tim Pratt. It was first published in "Asimov's Science Fiction" in 2006, and subsequently republished in Pratt's 2007 collection "Hart & Boot & Other Stories", and in the 2012 anthology "Other Worlds Than These". Plot summary. Pete is a cinephile. One day, he discovers a video store containing movies that were never created. He discovers that he enters a parallel universe every time he visits the store, and becomes both frustrated and elated as he tries to watch as many of the videos as possible, while  forming a bond with the store's downbeat clerk. By the end of the short story, Pete is now friends with Ally. Ally grew tired of the parallel universe and is now living with Pete and watching movies with him. Reception. "Impossible Dreams" won the 2007 Hugo Award for Best Short Story. Several reviews stated that the novella and movie are like the "Twilight Zone". In addition, the novella inspires the reader to become a movie buff. Pete is described by one critic as "a young film buff who discovers a movie rental shop from a parallel universe." Film adaptation . In 2011, a short film adaptation of "Impossible Dreams" was made in Israel by Shir Comay in the Hebrew language (the Hebrew title is "וידאו קסם", literally "Magic Video-rentals"). The film premiered on July 12, 2011 as part of the Jerusalem Film Festival, and won the Israeli shorts competition in the ICon festival 2011 Israeli shorts competition.