Star People

On March 13, 1997, thousands of people in Arizona witnessed the largest mass UFO sighting in U.S. history—now famously known as The Phoenix Lights. Among them was 10-year-old Claire, who felt as if the lights called to her. Years later, Claire (Kat Cunning), now a photographer, is still chasing that moment, hoping to capture the lights on camera and finally make sense of what she saw. When a mysterious tip leads her deep into the Arizona desert during a deadly heatwave with her UFO streamer boyfriend (Connor Paolo) and troubled brother (McCabe Slye) in tow,they encounter a vulnerable immigrant family whose plight complicates her mission. As tensions rise, Claire searches for the answers she seeks on terra firma and among the stars.

STAR PEOPLE- DIRECTOR’S STATEMENT
“I grew up in the Arizona desert. In the 1980’s, everything seemed fine. The weather was hot,
but not unbearable. People migrated north looking for a better life. As a kid, I understood that
America was a place people wanted to be. But something changed. Or maybe it was just my perception. In 1997, while I was nearing the end of my senior year in high school, The Phoenix Lights were witnessed by thousands. I didn’t see them but would hear about them. In the decades that followed, the mystery of these lights endured. And deepened. And so did the heat. As I entered adulthood, the planet warmed up,and immigrants were once again scapegoated for society’s ills. It was a thing I’d read about in high school, chronicled through American history, and here it was, on my doorstep. Fear of the unknown. Demonization of “the other.” With some notable exceptions, depictions of UFO stories through the years lean into themes of the dangerous unknown. But what if there was something truly unexplainable about sightings that doesn’t fit into the physical form of a spaceship? For my first feature film, I wanted to tell a story set in my home state. Arizona’s a beautiful place with a range of striking terrain that hasn’t been spotlighted much in recent movies. I love the feeling of Earth’s presence when exploring the state. I’m also a bit of a space nerd, having
grown up in an era of Carl Sagan and the Voyager spacecraft. When I was a kid, the universe
was just coming into focus for humanity. I knew I had to tell a story that tapped into both those settings. As I developed STAR PEOPLE, I also drew from my documentary filmmaking experience on THE BUSINESS OF RECOVERY. The process of making that film, and the tragic deaths of some of the interview subjects who would later perish from drug or alcohol related incidents, compelled
me to craft characters with raw, self-medicated trauma. And so, I let the lead characters of Claire and Taylor guide the narrative into their stories of belief and rebirth. While trapped in
their desert purgatory, the characters discover growth is painful and can lead them to a brighter future. But neither can do it alone. I also feel incredibly fortunate to have been surrounded by a dedicated cast and crew who put their faith in me to tell this tale. The filmmaking process was no small feat that would have been impossible without their commitment and collaboration.”

FILMMAKER ADAM FINBERG