UFOs & Men in Black Arrive in Puget Sound

The Maury Island Incident films off of Maury Island. Photo by Michael Brunk / nwlens.com.

Washington Filmworks (WF) is pleased to announce that The Maury Island Incident, a short film chronicling a 1947 UFO sighting over the Puget Sound, has wrapped principal photography. From late June through early July, filming took place in Burien, Des Moines, Tukwilla and the waters off of Maury Island. WF is proud to include The Maury Island Incident as part of the inaugural Innovation Cycle of the Filmworks Innovation Lab. The Lab is a groundbreaking new program offering funding assistance to Washington filmmakers and filmmakers using emerging technologies.

Cast from The Maury Island Incident. Photo by Michael Brunk / nwlens.com.

The short film is based on the true story – taken directly from declassified FBI documents – of Harold Dahl’s June 21, 1947 UFO sighting near Maury Island and the first reported ‘Man In Black’ encounter that happened the next day. An investigation followed that resulted in the mysterious crash of the plane that was carrying evidence from the encounter; the crash also killed 2 air force investigators. This case went all the way up to FBI Executive Director J. Edgar Hoover, who expressed personal interest in it.

On location with The Maury Island Incident. Photo by Michael Brunk / nwlens.com.

The project was the first of 5, approved through the latest cycle of the Lab, to complete principal photography. Written and produced by Steve Edmiston (The Day My Parents Became Cool, Crimes of the Past and others), and directed and produced by Scott Schaefer (Bill Nye the Science Guy, The Arsenio Hall Show, Almost Live!), Maury Island utilized a crew of more than 30 area film workers, along with an excellent, all-local group of actors put together by Casting Director Stephen Salamunovich. The project brought production to a variety of Puget Sound locations, including a private residence in Tukwila, boats off Maury Island, the Tin Room Bar in Burien, and the Landmark Event Center in Des Moines.

Behind the scenes. Photo by Michael Brunk / nwlens.com.

Producers spent the spring building buzz for the project, engaging UFO conspiracy theorists online, and even hosting a UFO Block Party in Burien this April, complete with a flash mob dancing to the tune of “Secret Agent Man.” The Maury Island Incident is now moving into post-production where it will be edited and assembled into a short film, which is slated to be completed sometime this fall. Watch for the local premiere.