This is a once-classified FBI document sent to J. Edgar Hoover about the Maury Island Incident. Click image to see larger version.
An historic, local UFO conspiracy tale has caught the attention of two area filmmakers, who plan on producing a film based on the incident and its tragic aftermath.
“The Maury Island Incident,” will be a film based on the true story of a man’s UFO sighting claim near Maury Island on June 21, 1947. This often-overlooked incident happened just two days before Ken Arnold’s Mount Rainier sighting, which spawned the phrase “flying saucers,” and 16 days before the infamous Roswell crash.
It also included what is considered by many experts to be the first “Men in Black” encounter as well.
The film will be directed by Scott Schaefer (Founder/Publisher, South King Media/The SeaTac Blog; 3-time National Emmy winning Writer, “Bill Nye the Science Guy“), and Written by Steve Edmiston (“Crimes of the Past,” “A Relative Thing,” and local favorite “The Day My Parents Became Cool” – read our previous coverage of that film here).
“When I worked in Hollywood, I directed for a UFO TV show called ‘Sightings,’” Schaefer said. “I went into the job entirely skeptical about all of the crazy UFO-lore, but within two years of working on this program, I was no longer skeptical.”
“This is a great, somewhat overlooked local mystery,” Edmiston added. “It’s a true story about an ordinary man’s extraordinary decision to share what he’s seen, and the unanticipated, life-and-death costs of his choice.”
Shooting is scheduled to begin June 21, 2013 – the 66th anniversary of the alleged sighting.
HELP KICKSTART THE FILM AT A KICK-OFF PARTY DEC. 5!
The team will be holding a kick-off party from 5:30 p.m. – 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 5 at the Tin Theater, (923 SW 152nd Street in Olde Burien), when they will share once-classified FBI and government documents about the case, explain what they need to make it, how people can help, and much more.
PLEASE RSVP
Since seating at the Tin Theater is limited, organizers are asking those interested in attend to please RSVP for the party by emailing info@mauryislandincident.com.
Here’s more info on the folks behind this new production from the film’s website:
STEVE EDMISTON, WRITER/PRODUCER
Steve Edmiston works as an independent feature film screenwriter and producer. He is also an attorney with 25 years of experience practicing business, litigation intellectual property, and entertainment law. Edmiston is a frequent teacher, advisor, and speaker on film and film industry issues. He has shown his films at a variety of festivals including: Palm Springs, Fort Lauderdale, Seattle International Film Festival, Big Island Film Festival, Ashland and Port Townsend.Edmiston Wrote and Directed the award-winning short The Day My Parents Became Cool, which was shot entirely in the south Puget Sound area.
Find more information on Edmiston’s screen credits and films, including cast information, trailer videos and release dates on IMDb.
SCOTT SCHAEFER, DIRECTOR/PRODUCER
Scott Schaefer is a three-time National Emmy Award winning Writer (Bill Nye the Science Guy, PBS/Disney) with over 27 years’ experience in media, including over 20 as a Director and Producer, six of which were spent in the trenches of Hollywood.His directing credits includes for the TV shows Penn & Teller:Bullsh*t! (Showtime) where he was nominated for a Directors Guild Award for Outstanding Directing in a Reality Show (2005), Sightings (a UFO show for Paramount Pictures), The Arsenio Hall Show (Paramount), Totally Hidden Video (Fox), The Late Show (Fox), Fox On-Air Promotions, Almost Live! (KING-TV, where he won 6 Local Emmy Awards) and many others in-between.
Schaefer currently runs a network of six local blogs and an internet radio station for an area south of Seattle called South King Media, which includes the award-winning B-Town Blog. Find more information on him on his website or IMDB.
LAURA BETH & SCOTT PETERSON, PRODUCERS
Our first Investors, Laura Beth and Scott Peterson are longtime area residents whose company, SAFE Boats, makes high-speed aluminum boats in Gig Harbor for military, federal, state and local law enforcement, fire and rescue agencies throughout North America and around the world.NANCY PAPPAS BARNHART, PRODUCER
An accomplished Advertising Manager, Nancy spent 15 years as Director of Corporate Communications & Media Relations for the McDonald’s Corporation, eleven years with Horizon Air and four years with The Bon Marche.Nancy was invited to join the management team at Highline Public Schools as interim Public Information Officer. Then in October 2001, she accepted the permanent role of the district’s Director of Human Resources.
In September 2008, Nancy joined the Aviation High School staff as Program Director to dedicate time to design, develop and manage Career Readiness/Mentoring and Internships programs. In 2009, she received her Career & Technical Education teaching certificate and now, along with her role in the Career Readiness effort, she teaches Aviation Careers.
Maury Island is just about two miles from Des Moines, as the crow (or UFO) flies…
VIDEO:
Here’s a short video about the Maury Island UFO, produced by KING-TV’s “Evening Magazine”:
For more information on The Maury Island Incident film:
- WEBSITE: http://www.mauryislandincident.com
- FACEBOOK: http://www.facebook.com/MauryIslandIncident
- FACEBOOK EVENT PAGE: http://www.facebook.com/events/295603230557056/
Here we go again… Another warmed-over UFO sighting documentary. I have no doubts that there is at least one foot in physical reality to the UFO phenomena after studying their many layers for over 40 years. Unfortunately, a “UFO” is not a UFO anymore. It is an extraterrestrial visitation. That is why many of my collegues in the scientific community prefer to call them something else.
Sure. Many of the reports (less than 5%) contain enough information to enable us to classify them as a “real,” phenomena with novel and well-defined physical characteristics. The phenomena assume many forms which usually occur regionally at around the same time. They visit nuclear plants and military installations, as well as indian reservations and other “favored” locations on what seems a random basis. They appear to evade measurement or contact with humans. But the fact of the matter is WE DON’T YET KNOW FOR CERTAIN WHAT CAUSES THEM.
There are other plausible hypotheses as to their origins of which the extraterrestrial hypothesis in only one. Hopefully the producers will not fail to point out this fact in their exposition. The Maury Island case has been hashed-over to the point where the information concerning it is so muddled (like Roswell) as to make its facts, let alone its cause known. But if you DO get the funding to make the documentary, please – PLEASE – do not start if off with spooky music and pop zooms!
In my estimation, you would be better off spending your time and money on some of the many lesser known, better documented cases which are really interesting.
Best regards, Dave Akers
Dave -
First off, thanks for your thoughtful comment.
Secondly, please note that we’re not making a documentary – we’re telling a story based on declassified FBI and government documents – “based on a true story” – using our own creative freedom to craft a compelling film about an incident that’s local to many of us (the filmmakers both live within 6-10 miles of where it occurred).
And yes, we’re planning on presenting it as both a “real” sighting as well as a hoax. Think Oliver Stone’s “JFK” with various re-tellings of the same incident only through different eyes and you’ll get an idea of our vision for this movie.
We are not going to hypothesize about what the sighting was, but we are going to tell Harold Dahl’s story based on the investigations that followed.
Thanks again,
Scott Schaefer
Director/Producer
http://www.mauryislandincident.com
Scott…
I get what you are trying to do. Best of luck.
But please, the spooky music and pop zoom comments still apply.
Dave