Documentary

NEW DVD RELEASE: THE PHOENIX LIGHTS - BEYOND TOP SECRET

Commendations The Making Of Cast Party World Premiere Documentary Credits

Dr. Lynne D. Kitei's firsthand experiences, as well as her amazing photographs, are considered by optical physicists and experts in the field as historic. After 13 years of meticulous research, she has combined stunning data and personal interviews in THE PHOENIX LIGHTS DOCUMENTARY, a comprehensive examination of the strange lights seen over Phoenix and throughout Arizona on March 13th 1997...But there is much more to the story!

This groundbreaking documentary, based on the best-selling book, "The Phoenix Lights...A Skeptic's Discovery that We Are Not Alone," features dozens of credible eyewitnesses, local military personnel, former Phoenix Vice Mayor, Frances Barwood, university-based scientists and other experts who give compelling testimony to the reality of these mysterious global visitations. What were they? How did they affect the witnesses? What do they mean?

The Phoenix Lights 84 minute documentary was produced and directed by physician and author, Lynne D. Kitei, M.D. in collaboration with producer / filmmaker, Steve Lantz.

NEW RELEASE !
THE PHOENIX LIGHTS - BEYOND TOP SECRET

Unsurpassed with regard to data following sincerity, legitimately compelling production values, and an all-enriching inspirational optimism for our unfolding future... Alfred Lehmberg, AlienView.net

This newly expanded 2017 edition is available at Amazon.com
The Documentary DVD shares compelling evidence and many new Bonus Features...

GEOSPATIAL ANIMATION PROJECT: Image slide show of 3D geospatial images created by Larry Lowe to re-enact multiple eye witness accounts. Play Video

DR. LYNNE’S PHOTOGRAPHS: Image slide show of authenticated photographs taken by Dr. Lynne D. Kitei. View Slideshow

BRYAN DE FLORES COMMUNICATION ART: Artist Bryan De Flores renderings of visual messages akin to Crop Circles, associated with the Phoenix Lights. View Slideshow

A FILMMAKER’S PERSPECTIVE: Producer / filmmaker, Steve Lantz, describes how the documentary was produced from concept to completion. Play Video

FLYOVER VERSUS ORBS: A critical analysis of the differences between craft flyover versus orb formations.
Play Video

FLARE THEORY DEBUNKED: The most common theory against the reality of the Phoenix Lights countered by expert rebuttal.
Play Video

MILITARY CRAFT THEORY DEBUNKED: Skeptics theory countered by Steve Lantz, producer of the Phoenix Lights Documentary and a licensed private pilot. Play Video

COINCIDENCE? What happened to the MISTI-3 satellite? Unusual gamma ray bursts? Are they related or just coincidence?
Play Video

NEWS MEDIA MONTAGE: How the Phoenix Lights story broke and unfolded through the TV news media.

ET DISCLOSURE: Apollo astronaut, Dr. Edgar Mitchell Sc.D. explains how the government UFO cover-up began.
Play Video

A PILOT’S PERSPECTIVE: Commercial / military pilot and Phoenix Lights witness confirms why the Phoenix Lights were not military flares.

FOO FIGHTER EYE WITNESS ACCOUNT: WWII French Air Force pilot comes forward.

TRAILER: The Phoenix Lights Documentary trailer. Play Trailer

DOCUMENTARY COMMENDATIONS

"Brilliant...It is what the world needs."
U of A Professor, Gary E. Schwartz, Ph.D.

"The best Documentary I've seen on UFOs."
Alfred Lehmberg, Alien View

"I will recommend it to all my friends. Bravo!"
Stojan Karlusic, Australia

"Spellbinding from beginning to end."
Frances Emma Barwood, Former Phoenix Councilwoman/Vice Mayor

"It was awesome! ...I was glued to the screen!"
Pat Lonchar, American Express

"What a Triumph!"
Rebecca Hardcastle, MDA, Ordained Minister, Ph.D. in Divinity

"A captivating account of the biggest and best documented UFO sighting of modern times."
Tom Huston, "What Is Enlightenment"Magazine

"It is a brilliant documentary... few cases have been or are likely to be as major as The Phoenix Lights incident(s)"
Soren Hyldgaard, Composer and screen writer from Copenhagen, Denmark

"The packed screenings of your Documentary elevated our IONS members and other members of the community to a higher level of consciousness and awareness...Compelling research and most poignant, your messages of connection and spirituality."
Susan & David Cooper, Tucson Coordinators Institute of Noetic Sciences

"...intriguing, entertaining and riveting throughout."
Bram Sheafor, attendee at the SOLD OUT Landmark Crossroads Cinema screening in Boulder, CO

Commendation Letter from Harkins Theatres

Documentary Review - What Is Enlightenment? Magazine

THE MAKING OF THE PHOENIX LIGHTS DOCUMENTARY

Project Development

Dr. Lynne Kitei first met filmmaker, Steve Lantz in February 2004. They were introduced by author Paul Perry, who has written many books and wrote the forward in Dr. Lynne's best-selling book; "The Phoenix Lights - A Skeptic's Discovery That We Are Not Alone." Paul and Steve were discussing the idea of shooting a documentary series based on his latest book, then Paul asked Steve if he might be interested in shooting a documentary based on the Phoenix Lights mass sighting that occurred in 1997. Steve's interest in ufology started during his childhood and he was already very familiar with the Phoenix LIghts event. Paul then offered to arrange a meeting with Dr. Lynne who was formerly known in the media as "Dr. X" and Steve agreed.

Steve met Paul and Dr. Lynne for lunch and she presented a notebook filled with numerous photos of anomalous lights she witnessed and photographed from her mountainside home in Paradise Valley, Arizona. She was a little apprehensive to reveal her collection as she had been very guarded about coming forward publicly. After all, she was the Chief Clinical Consultant at the Arizona Heart Institutes' Imaging-Prevention-Wellness Center in Phoenix and she was concerned about jeopardizing her prestigious career by publicly associating herself with such a controversial topic. As Steve looked through her photos he began to see the potential for an intriguing documentary, although at the time he wasn't considering anything other than a 25 minute short film.

After a series of emails over the next month or so, Dr. Lynne and Steve decided to move forward with the project. Dr. Lynne began assembling dozens of witnesses and experts and shooting dates were scheduled. Most documentaries are financed with a budget and have a sizable crew to handle the myriad tasks involved. However, since Dr. Lynne and Steve were producing this film out of their own pockets, they decided to tackle it all on their own to minimize costs.

Production

On May 11th 2004, Steve drove 15+ hours from his home in Grass Valley, California to Phoenix, Arizona, his Ford Expedition packed to the ceiling with equipment, and arrived late that evening. Early the next morning, Steve and his mother Nancy, picked up Dr. Lynne at her home and proceeded on to the Arizona State University campus. They set up their first interview in a conference room at the mathematics department. Dr. Paul Cook was interviewed first, followed by Dr. Alvin Swimmer and Robert Golka, an expert on Ball Lightning. Shooting continued for a solid week, including a trip to Tucson to interview Dr. Richard Powell, Dr. Gary Schwartz and Lynne's son Dan, who also witnessed the mysterious orbs of light. Dozens of experts and witnesses were interviewed, including Jim Dilettoso and Mike Tanner, lead investigators from Village Labs, who collected and analyzed all obtainable data on the event and former Phoenix City Councilwoman/Vice Mayor, Frances Emma Barwood.

On Wednesday May 19th, the last round of interviews were completed and Dr. Lynne's reenactments were filmed at her home. The following day, Steve had a scheduled meeting with Jim Dilettoso, but Jim had to cancel, so Steve spent the day relaxing by the pool. After eight long days of shooting, it was much needed R&R before making the long drive back to Grass Valley the next day.

A few days after Steve returned to Grass Valley, he began transferring the raw footage to tape and sent the copies to Dr. Lynne. There were some additional key interviews and b-roll coverage that was needed, so Steve flew back to Phoenix for a two-day shoot, on June 15th-16th 2004.

On August 4th, Steve drove with his family to Santa Barbara, California to shoot an interview with Jim Dilettoso and Dr. Rand Molnar, an expert in image analysis. Rand was one of Steve's instructors when he attended Brooks Institute in 1983. Steve shot the interview at Brooks Institute on August 5th. After a brief family vacation in Newport Beach he returned home and started working on a 10 minute short that Dr. Lynne wanted to show at the Bay Area UFO Expo on August 28th. Dr. Lynne was a keynote speaker at the Expo and Steve barely finished the short film in time for the event where the Phoenix Lights Documentary made its first debut. It was the humble beginning for what was to become a feature-length documentary that overall, took nearly four years to complete.

Steve returned to Phoenix once again from October 15th to the 17th to shoot additional interviews, reenactments and Phoenix backgrounds. Other interviews were shot at his home a year later and Keith Ritchie, a news cameraman in Phoenix, shot additional b-roll and interviews as well, including Dr. Edgar Mitchell, who was added in December 2007 along with a 911 operator and a professional pilot. Dr. Lynne videotaped other orbs and formations in 2005 that were also added to the film.

SHOOTING DATES SUMMARY:

May 12th-19th 2004 (8 days) - Interviews, reenactments, Sky Harbor/Phoenix B-roll

June 15th-16th 2004 (2 days) - Interviews, B-roll, Phoenix backgrounds

August 5th 2004 (1 day) - Rand Molnar and Jim Dilettoso at Brooks Institute

October 15th-17th 2004 (3 days) - Interviews, reenactments, Phoenix backgrounds

Post Production

Over 25 hours of footage had to be captured digitally into the computer and organized. It is one of the most tedious jobs in an editing project and very time-consuming. Normally, when an editor edits a feature film, the scenes are all marked and ordered according to the story line of the script. Documentaries are a real challenge to edit, because there is no shooting script to work from. Overall, 56 people were interviewed and it required a tremendous amount of patience to go through hours and hours of footage, piecing everything together in a way that tells a story in a cohesive way. Add to that the difficulty of trying to explain a complicated event with many perspectives and put it all into layman's terms, while maintaining authenticity and integrity.

Another big challenge was obtaining or creating the enormous amount of inserts, coverage, photos and animations that were needed. Collectively, Steve spent many months creating hundreds of simulations and effects that were needed to effectively demonstrate what happened on March 13th 1997. Most of the simulations and effects were composites consisting of many elements that had to be pieced together and programmed with motion controls. It was very tedious rendering each effect, checking, tweaking, re-rendering and repeating the process over and over again. Then of course, numerous sound effects had to be added and the dialog had to be meticulously edited to remove the umms, uuhs and stuttering. In addition, Steve composed dozens of musical pieces for the soundtrack.

Festivals and Awards

After many weeks of editing the documentary slowly began taking shape. The goal was to complete the film in time to submit it into the 2005 Phoenix Film Festival. The final deadline was December 31st 2004 and it was a monumental task to try to finish the film in time. Dr. Lynne and Steve worked tirelessly for months, but the film was still very raw looking by the entry deadline.

The next goal was to complete the film in time for the March 13th anniversary of the Phoenix Lights event. Harkins Theatres scheduled three special showings on Sunday March 13th 2005. With the dates set and Dr. Lynne working hard to promote the world premiere, Steve was under tremendous pressure to finish the documentary in time.

All too soon, the big day arrived. Terry Mansfield, a key witness interviewed for the documentary, hosted a cast party at her home in Paradise Valley. It was a beautiful morning and everyone who attended had a relaxing time while engaging in some very stimulating conversation. After lunch, everyone met at the Harkins Shea 14 Theater in Scottsdale. The first showing was scheduled at 1pm, followed by another at 4pm, then the final show at 7pm. Dr. Lynne did a great job of promoting the film with the local press and media and all three shows were completely sold out! Dr. Lynne and Steve hosted Q & A's after each show, along with cast members who were invited to stand up front and answer questions from the audience.

The documentary was still a 'diamond in the rough' as far as Dr. Lynne and Steve were concerned, so they spent the better part of three years perfecting the film, adding additional interviews, special effects, new coverage and inserts, new sightings and former Arizona Governor, Fife Symington's public confession that he saw the Phoenix Lights craft himself!

After the world premiere, the documentary was entered into international film festivals across the United States, Canada, Europe and Australia. To date the film has been an official selection in over a dozen festivals worldwide and received three nominations for Best Documentary Feature. The Phoenix Lights won two international awards, including Best Documentary Feature and Best Director and has been screened at numerous events, including the "X-Conference" in Washington D.C., the International MUFON Symposium and the Bay Area UFO Expo. In addition, the film has been screened at Warner Brothers Studios, the famous Manns Chinese Theater in Hollywood and the Crest Theater in Westwood.

WINNER BEST DIRECTOR
New York International Independent Film & Video Festival 2005

WINNER BEST DOCUMENTARY
International Sci-Fi Film Festival 2005

NOMINATED BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
New Jersey International Film & Screenplay Festival 2006

NOMINATED BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
Utah's Gloria Film Festival 2006

NOMINATED BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
San Fernando Valley International Film Festival 2006

OFFICIAL SELECTIONS

New York International Independent Film & Video Festival 2005
International Sci-Fi Film Festival 2005
New Jersey International Film & Screenplay Festival 2006
Utah's Gloria Film Festival 2006
San Fernando Valley International Film Festival 2006
FAIF International Film Festival 2006
Los Angeles International Independent Film & Video Festival 2006
Westwood International Film Festival 2006
Rhode Island International Film Festival 2006
Canada's Hericane Festival of Women's Art 2006
Australian International Film Festival 2006
Brilliant Light International Film Festival 2007

CAST PARTY

Terri Mansfield, one of the key witnesses in the Phoenix Lights Documentary, graciously offered to host the cast party at her Paradise Valley home on Sunday March 13th, 2005. The party started around 10am and lasted through lunch.

Many people showed up with their spouses and friends. Some of those who attended included Charlie and David Balogh from CSETI, Frances Barwood and her husband Michael, Chuck Byers, Jim Dilettoso, Doc Gibson, Trudy and Fred Guyker, Dr. Lynne Kitei and her husband Frank, Mike Krzyston, Joan Mortensen, John and Cynthia Robinson, Dr. Gary Schwartz, Dr. Alvin Swimmer, Michael Tanner, Wendy Miller from Newszap Magazine, Dr. Howard and Nancy Shulman, Steve and Fran Lantz.

It was a beautiful morning and Terri was the perfect host. She presented a wonderful assortment of appetizers and drinks. The air was filled with excitement as everyone anticipated seeing their faces projected on a large theater screen. There were many discussions about the film and the Phoenix Lights event. Then it was time to head off to Harkins Shea 14 Theatres for the grand premiere.

__

WORLD PREMIERE

Harkins Shea 14 Theatres in Scottsdale, Arizona hosted the World Premiere of The Phoenix Lights Documentary on Sunday March 13th 2005, the 8th anniversary of the Phoenix Lights event. Executive Producer/Writer/Director Lynne D. Kitei M.D., aggressively promoted the film on most of the local news stations, radio stations and newspapers. Harkins Theatres placed a large ad in the weekend newspaper and displayed posters at several theaters in Scottsdale, Phoenix and Tempe. The tremendous advertising blitz drew a huge crowd and the theater sold out all three shows.

Before the show Dr. Lynne was busy signing books and DVDs while Steve was busy meeting people and posing for photographers. By the time Dr. Lynne and Steve entered the theater there was no place to sit but the far left side of the front row. On one hand it was convenient to be sitting in the front row as they stood up and welcomed everyone before the show. On the other hand, watching their film for the first time on a big screen while sitting so close was a little disconcerting. Steve was worried about the quality of blowing up standard definition DV footage on such a massive screen.

Finally, the lights dimmed and the movie started, giving Dr. Lynne and Steve their first opportunity to see the results of their hard work projected on a large screen in front of hundreds of people. Much to Steve's relief, the image quality was far better than he anticipated, thanks in part to a high-quality digital projector.

The World Premiere of the Phoenix Lights was so successful, Harkins extended the showings for several more weeks and included special showings in Prescott and Sedona. In 2006, Steve posted the film trailer on YouTube which to date has received nearly a half-million hits and hundreds of comments.

In March 2007, former Arizona Governor, Fife Symington, came forward and publicly admitted that he saw the enormous craft that flew over the city in 1997 and his public admission was added to the end of the documentary.

In 2008, the film was picked up for distribution by Vanguard International Cinema. Coinciding with its official launch in the United States, Dateline aired a special on the top ten UFO events worldwide and the Phoenix Lights was voted NUMBER ONE. The Phoenix Lights Documentary is now available on Pay Per View and has been screened at Harkin's Shea 14 Theatres every year since the world premiere in 2005. Check the events page for upcoming screenings and special presentations by Dr. Lynne Kitei.

THE PHOENIX LIGHTS DOCUMENTARY CREDITS

___

Opening Credits
Scroll down for Closing Credits

Health Education Learning Programs
& Steve Lantz Productions, LLC
present

The
Phoenix Lights

Based on the book
"The Phoenix Lights...
A Skeptic's Discovery
That We Are Not Alone"
by Lynne D. Kitei, M.D.

Music Composer
Steve Lantz

Executive Producer
Lynne D. Kitei, M.D.

Producer
Steve Lantz

Written & Directed by
Lynne D. Kitei, M.D.

Closing Credits

Written & Directed by
Lynne D. Kitei, M.D.

Director of Photography
Steve Lantz

Additional Photography
Keith Ritchie

Based on the book
"The Phoenix Lights...
A Skeptic's Discovery That We Are Not Alone"
by Lynne D. Kitei, M.D.

Special thanks to everyone who participated in this film:
(in alphabetical order)

Charlie Balogh
David Balogh
Frances Barwood
Tom Brunty
Chuck Byers
Tom Chavez
Paul Cook, Ph.D.
Jim Dilettoso
Jacques Drabier, Lt. Col. F.A.F.
Mike Fortson
Doc Gibson
Robert Golka
Trudy Guyker
Rebecca Hardcastle, M.D.A., Ph.D.
Jackie Hartman
Ruth Hover, Ph.D.
Bob Huckaby
Dee Johnson
Cassidy Jones
Riley Jones
George Judson
Lee Kitchens
Daniel J. Kitei, D.O.
Frank D. Kitei, D.O.
Jeannette Kitei
Lynne D. Kitei, M.D.
Mike Krzyston
Zachary Lantz
Kasandra Lebow
Bobbie Ley
Hal Ley
Tim Ley
Ramona Lottier
Militza Loving
Terri Mansfield
Edgar Mitchell, Ph.D.
Rand Molnar, Ph.D.
Joan Mortensen, R.N.
Nicholas Murray
Verlee Nanneman
Regina Nelms
Sid Pennington
Richard Powell, Ph.D.
Craig Pratt
Danise Riley
Cynthia Robinson, R.N., M.A.
Marilyn Schulte
Joan Schuman
Gary Schwartz, Ph.D.
J. K. Scott
Justine Sommers
Alvin Swimmer, Ph.D.
Michael Tanner
Sonia Toma
Fred Von Dorn
Steve Wiedman
Nina Wiester
Richard Williamson
Nancy Wolett

Editing, Visual Effects, Sound, Titles & Graphics
Steve Lantz

Production Assistant / Photographer
Nancy Shulman

Production Consultant
Keith Ritchie

Special thanks to
Michael Bistocchi
Clegg Industries
Fran Lantz
Chris Owens
Singleton Company

Archival images courtesy of
AZfamily.com
CNN
Corbis/Bettmann Archive
Jim Dilettoso
Fortean Picture Library
KTVK-TV News
Mary Evans Picture Library
NASA Image Archive
Science Photo Library
David Sereda
Werner Forman Archive

Aerial & satellite photography provided by
GlobeXplorer.com

Edited with
Final Cut Pro HD

For further information
visit:
www.thephoenixlights.net

Back to top