THE LIST: WATCH THE SKIES - THE FIVE BEST U.F.O. FILMS YOU’VE NEVER SEEN

On July 2, stargazers the world over will squint skyward in celebration of World U.F.O. Day. This annual event acknowledges the exponentially expanding community who believe that the truth is up there; that aerial phenomenon - extraterrestrial, transdimensional or otherwise - exists in our airspace. Such conjecture has given rise to some of the most popular movies of all time, from Close Encounters of The Third Kind (1977) to The Day The Earth Stood Still (1951) to Independence Day (1996) to Arrival (2016).

But for every E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial (1982), there is a Mac & Me (1988); for every War of The Worlds (2005), there is a Zone Troopers (1985). The U.F.O. subset of the science fiction genre has provided many underseen, underappreciated gems. World U.F.O. Day provides the perfect opportunity to zero-in on five films that explore and celebrate one of mankind’s great conundrums - are we alone…?

The U.F.O. Incident (Dir: Richard A. Colla; stars James Earl Jones, Estelle Parsons, Barnard Hughes; U.S., 1975)
Plot: The alleged UFO abduction of Betty and Barney Hill on September 19, 1961 in the White Mountains of New Hampshire led to shared bouts of crippling anxiety and nightmarish visions for the married couple. They turn to Dr. Benjamin Simon to help piece together the happenings of that night.
Seriously, it’s true: Travis Walton's abduction story was revealed only two weeks after this television movie was broadcast, leading to claims that this film had influenced Walton’s recounting of his own alleged abduction story (filmed as Fire in the Sky, 1993).

Curse of the Man Who Sees UFOs (Dir: Justin Gaar; featuring Christo Roppolo, Dennis Deakin, Laurence Cefalu; U.S., 2016)
Plot: Christo Roppolo claims to have been videotaping and communicating with UFOs around Monterey for several years. In 2013, filmmaker Justin Gaar began documenting the man and his experiences. Christo is revealed as a traveling UFO preacher, explaining his encounters to passersby, asking about their own encounters and spreading his gospel of extraterrestrial salvation.
Seriously, it’s true: In a YouTube announcement on June 25, Christo Roppolo introduced to his fans the sequel, The Man Who Sees UFOs, from director Matthew Kalamane. 

L’Arrivo di Wang (Dir: Antonio & Marco Manetti; stars Ennio Fantastichini, Francesca Cuttica, Juliet Esey Joseph and Li Yong; Italy, 2011) English: The Arrival of Wang
Plot: An extraterrestrial has arrived on earth and it is up to bewildered government investigators to find out its motive; in the meantime, the interpreter senses the alien’s mindgames hold a sinister secret.
Seriously, it’s true: Drew some ire for the filmmaker’s decision to have the alien adopt Mandarin as it’s language. Some critics claimed it was a race-based comment on the perceived global domination of Chinese business interests.

Uchûjin Tôkyô ni arawaru (Dir: Kôji Shima; stars Keizô Kawasaki, Toyomi Karita, Bin Yagisawa; Japan, 1956) English: Warning from Space.
Plot: Starfish-like aliens disguised as humans travel to Earth to warn of the imminent collision of a rogue star into our planet. As the megaton projectile rapidly accelerates toward Earth, the aliens and humankind develop a plan to save our world.
Seriously, it’s true: This was the first color tokusatsu film (a live action work that makes heavy use of special effects) produced in Japan. It beat the Toho Studio's science fiction spectacle, The Mysterians (1957) - the first tokusatsu film in widescreen - into theaters by a year.

Treta sled slantzeto (Dir: Gueorgui Stoyanov; stars Itschak Fintzi, Naum Shopov, Nikolay Nikolaev; Bulgaria, 1972) English: Third Planet in the Solar Sytstem
Plot: In prehistoric times, an alien spaceship delivers its crew to Earth to lay the foundation for a new civilization. Through surgical procedures on apes, the aliens program the future spiritual evolution of Earth (Ed: What the....?).
Seriously, it’s true: The Bulgarian film industry’s first ever science-fiction film. Despite its financial failure, director Gueorgui Stoyanov became a hugely respected elder statesmen of the sector; he would earn the position of the Counselor of Culture at the Bulgarian embassy in Washington D.C. and President of the Bulgarian Filmmaker’s Union.

WORLD UFO DAY event calendar can be found here.