The year is 1961. Jackie and Terry Bumbry are a mixed-race couple who have a paranormal encounter with a bright light in the sky while traveling near Mount Shasta. They report their experience to local law enforcement, who bring in a psychologist to assess the situation. But as Jackie tells her story to the doctor she comes to realise that there may be ulterior motives at play...

Interview with Writer/Director Jay K. Raja

Watch The Bumbry Encounter here:

Congratulations! Why did you make your film?

It was originally inspired by the real-life Betty and Barney Hill incident, a landmark case in UFO abduction stories. I should say that what happens in our movie does not represent the true events - as far as we know ;)

Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?

If you like The Twilight Zone, it's right up your alley.

How do personal and universal themes work in your film?

There's a unique experience that many groups in this country have had where they can't trust authority or realise that they are powerless against the institution. It's one of the most draining and awful feeling to go through, and this film shows that anyone can be subject to that.

How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development?

It began as a simple monologue - simply a study for one actor and a directing exercise for me. But over the course of a year, it grew and grew until it was a full-on short film!

What type of feedback have you received so far?

Fairly positive, although many have pointed out that there is a distinct lack of cute doggos in the movie, an error that I deeply regret.

Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?

Sometimes, yes - but the thing I've found about feedback is that you have to analyse past the words. Sometimes people may feel a certain way but it's actually due to something else wrong entirely. We ended up going back and editing more than 2 minutes out of the film and really tightened the whole thing up after our initial screenings.

What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?

I just love to share my colleague’s work. Everyone worked their butts off on this movie and I'm happy that it can be out there in the world.

Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?

Everybody! We want the word out and love to hear when people connect with the film.

What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?

I like using sci-fi to talk about real-world issues. If someone walks away contemplating those issues, we've done our job.

What other projects are the key creatives developing or working on now?

We're actively working on new projects all the time as a team. We'll be moving onto more shorts, series, and hopefully one day an adaptation of Gex 64: Enter the Gecko.

Interview: August 2019

We Are Moving Stories embraces new voices in drama, documentary, animation, TV, web series, music video, women's films, LGBTQIA+, POC, First Nations, scifi, supernatural, horror, world cinema. If you have just made a film - we'd love to hear from you. Or if you know a filmmaker - can you recommend us? More info: Carmela

The Bumbry Encounter

Length: 15:01

Director: Jay K. Raja

Producer: Roth Rind

Writer: Jay K. Raja

About the writer, director and producer:

When he’s not writing at his computer or working behind the camera, JAY K RAJA can often be spotted gawking at dinosaurs in the nearest museum’s hall of prehistoric life. He aspires to meet a living one someday, although for now will settle for the fossils.

ROTH RIND, a producer and director based in California, knows nothing else except for his passion for the film medium. Ever since he was 11 years old making claymation movies on his father’s Hi8mm camera, Roth has been seeing life through the lens. He hopes that one day he will truly shock the scientific community when he creates a time machine out of a DeLorean.

Key cast: Lauren McFall (Jackie Bumbry), Skipper Elekwachi (Terry Bumbry), Ross Turner (Doctor Bancroft)

Looking for: distributors, journalists, sales agents, film festival directors, buyers

Hashtags used: #thebumbryencounter

Website: www.thebumbryencounter.com

Funders: Private donors and self funding

Where can I watch it next and in the coming month? Mill Valley Film Festival/San Rafael, California - Oct. 3-13, 2019; Santa Cruz Film Festival/Santa Cruz, California - Oct. 9-13, 2019; Breckenridge Film Festival/Breckenridge, Colorado - Sept. 19-22, 2019; jellyFEST/Los Angeles, California - Aug. 17, 2019; San Jose International Short Film Festival/San Jose, California - Oct. 2019.