From high above, we see an aerial view of a quiet New York suburb. We look closer and see a quaint home… and hovering above the home, we notice a white, disc-shaped object floating in the sky — until it quickly glides away. Cookie, the older woman who lives in the house, points to the window out of which she was abducted by extraterrestrial beings. When she senses skepticism from the interviewers behind the camera, she smiles assertively and states, “It doesn’t matter if you don’t believe — I accept that. You know, it’s not your time to believe. Something will happen in your future, and, all of a sudden, the lightbulb will go off and… it might change how you think about [this].” 

New York — listed as the fifth state with the most UFO sightings in the U.S. — is home to many true believers like Cookie. A part of a wider group of like-minded individuals, Cookie, along with her friend Steve, stand up comic Twon and spiritual Dave, share similar grounded testimonies of their close encounters with otherworldly beings. Pacho Velez & Daniel Claridge’s illuminating They’re Here cleverly toys with UFO culture by using it as a conduit to explore themes of perception and of humanity seeking a sense of connection and purpose. Infused with moments of humor and empathetic poignancy, the film’s self-aware black and white cinematography delivers an absorbing sense of filmmaking.––Jose Rodriguez

Pacho Velez and Daniel Claridge