ALIENS FROM SPACESHIP EARTH 

12/27/07 

Cinefamily
Hollywood, California

Programmed by Jodi Wille

Greetings friends,

Happy extended holidays to you!

If you're in town tomorrow—Friday night— please join us for a special event I'll be introducing at The Silent Movie Theater: a film screening of the lost 70s cult treasure, "Aliens from Spaceship Earth," (1977) directed by Don Como.

Narrated by Donovan, who also provides the film's soundtrack, "Aliens" is a fascinating insider's view into the guru/ yogi/cult explosion of the 60s and 70s, featuring popular and controversial spiritual leaders of the time, including Sai Baba, Yogi Bhahan, Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, Guru Maharaj Ji, Sri Sathya, Elizabeth Clare Prophet, Ram Dass and Father Yod (with the Source Family!!), along with jaw-dropping footage of thousands of white, middle class young people walking barefoot across coals, participating in tantric sex rituals, being kidnapped by "deprogrammers," chanting, and devoting themselves unconditionally to their "alien" spiritual leaders.

The film also features Cybil Shepard, Martin Landau, former Chicago 7 activist Rennie Davis, actors Leigh Taylor Young, Linda Day George, and Raymond Bur, getting starry-eyed about their gurus and God. Wowza!

This is one of the few films of the era to counteract the schlock movies and mass media sensationalism that essentially demonized a generation of truth seekers. With its sympathetic viewpoint, "Aliens" stands, decades later, as one of the more authentic documents of the era and provides insight into a countercultural phenomenon that is still misunderstood today.

**NOTE: This will be the first public screening of the film in 30 years, and the director will be present after the film to answer questions along with three actual members from spiritual groups represented in the film:

Nrsimhananda Das of the Hare Krishna group

Dr. Elena Electra Michaels and David Gold of The Source Family

George Sobel,  Secretary to Maharishi Mahesh Yogi (Transcendental Meditation)

Join us!!!