Albuquerque, New Mexico -- It's hard to believe, but "High Strange New Mexico," the UFO film that captured the imagination of viewers and critics alike with its unique portrayal of the New Mexico UFO subculture, celebrates its 10th anniversary this month.
"The great thing is that people continue to be fascinated by the people and stories (director) James (Lujan) and I brought to the screen," said producer Anthony DellaFlora.
The movie debuted at the Harwood Art Center in Albuquerque on March 28, 1997, to a packed house, including most of the subjects of the film. The movie screened numerous times after that at festivals around the world and, of course, in Roswell. Critics labeled the 112-minute movie "fascinating,"
To mark the 10th anniversary, the movie is being released on a new website at http://www.high-
“The quality of the video is the clearest and sharpest I’ve ever seen online and in spite of rumors to the contrary, the technology did not originate off world,” quipped DellaFlora.
"Every filmmaker wants their work seen. This gets us out to a worldwide audience instantly," he added.
Starting from the premise that New Mexico holds a unique place in the annals of UFO history, then-journalist DellaFlora and documentary filmmaker James Lujan delved into the state's treasure trove of flying saucer lore. They spent two years traversing the state -- from Roswell to Dulce to Cimarron and points in between -- discovering a subculture populated by UFO believers, skeptics, abductees, cattle mutilation investigators and folks who believe they've had contact with extraterrestrials.
"I think it strikes a chord with audiences because we focus on real people, not on the question of whether UFOs exist or not," DellaFlora explained. "We present their stories and viewers can make up their own minds. Even those not into UFOs will find the people interesting."
Viewers can find "High Strange" at www.high-strange-
DellaFlora said that in the coming months, he hopes to release excerpts of the 80 hours of unedited footage collected during the making of the film. "We heard some amazing stories. We just couldn't fit them all in a two-hour movie."
A free preview of the movie is available on the website. For more information contact:
Anthony DellaFlora
505-830-9571
http://www.high-
tcempire@mindspring.com
