Celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Maury Island Incident on Saturday, October 5, on the big screen at the Museum of Flight

Everyone is cordially invited to a presentation and demonstration of “The Maury Island Incident” film at the Museum of Flight on Saturday, October 5, 2024, from 2 p.m.

The award-winning, locally produced and shot 30-minute film – which celebrates its 10th anniversary – will be shown at William M. Allen Theatre at the museum in Tukwila (map below). There will also be a presentation beforehand and a Q&A session with filmmakers afterwards.

This film is based on the incredible and often forgotten story of Harold Dahl, who reported an alleged UFO sighting over Puget Sound on June 21, 1947, which, according to the filmmakers, led to the first UFO encounter by the “Men in Black” and the first fatalities in the history of the then-new U.S. Air Force.

History meets pop culture and J. Edgar Hoover in a sensational 1947 Northwest tale that questions the historical foundations of UFO mythology and the origin story of the Men in Black and was honored with a 2017 Washington State Senate resolution. The tale occurred at the beginning of the “Summer of the Saucers” phenomenon that ushered in the modern UFO era, and Washington State was ground zero for alleged sightings.

Discover how two local filmmakers were inspired by the infamous “Maury Island Incident”, then decided to reject the usual cliches, speculation and sensationalism surrounding UFO stories and instead tackle the project as a “sideline historian.” You will learn – as they did – from the FBI records how a Tacoma-based FBI special agent assigned to investigate a mysterious B-25 bomber crash east of Kelso, Washington, reported the facts of the Maury Island incident directly to J. Edgar Hoover and reshaped the entire historical narrative, which was the inspiration for the award-winning 30-minute film “The Maury Island Incident“ (which will be shown as part of the program).

Scott Schaefer, the film’s director, said:

“We wanted to capture the dramatic tension that jumped right out of the declassified FBI interrogation transcripts from 1947. People will argue forever about what happened that day. But it doesn't matter. Lives were lost and lives were destroyed. Pop culture was changed forever. And when the team – including our wonderful executive producer John White – realized that the common narrative that Maury Island was a hoax was wrong and the truth had been kept under wraps for 50 years, we had to make the film.”

“This film has been a wonderful 10-year journey that just doesn't end,” said Steve Edmiston, screenwriter and co-producer. “We had no idea how people would react to us treating a controversial subject like a UFO sighting as a historical event. That's why we relied so heavily on the FBI investigation and the character of J. Edgar Hoover. And it seemed to work.”

video

Below is a trailer for the film:

Event details

• WHEN: Saturday, October 5, 2024, 2 – 4 p.m.
• COST: FREE with membership and included in general admission.

About the filmmakers

Steve Edmiston, Writer/Producer
Steve Edmiston is a commercial, intellectual property and entertainment lawyer at Bracepoint Law and an independent screenwriter and producer. In addition to four released feature films, his award-winning short films include “The Maury Island Incident” (Author/Producer). He is the founder of Quadrant45the Maury Island Incident Historical Society and the Men in Black Birthday Bash Festival (MIBBB Fest). He is a member of the Humanities Washington Speakers Bureau for 2021-2023 and 2024-2025 and has been a keynote speaker at the Pacific Northwest History Conference, Washington State Historical Museum, Smith Tower Rumrunner's Club, McMenamins History Pubs, and numerous film festivals, conferences, and business organizations.

Scott Schaefer, Director/Producer
Scott Schaefer is a three-time National Emmy Award winner (for “Bill Nye, the science guy“) with over 35 years of experience in the media industry, including over 20 as a director and producer, six of which were in the trenches of Hollywood. His credits also include shows “Penn & Teller: Bullshit!“, where he was nominated for a Directors Guild Award for Outstanding Directing of a Reality Show (2005), “The Arsenio Hall Show” (Paramount) and KING-TV’s “Almost live!” (where he won 6 Local Emmys). Scott is the founder of Südkönig Mediaa network of eight award-winning “hyperlocal” news websites for South King County (including The Tukwila Blog).

Presented as part of the new Home Beyond Earth Exhibition.

The Museum of Flight is located at 9404 E. Marginal Way South, Seattle, WA 98108-4097: