Actor Michael Sheen stars in a new comedy film titled 'Out There,' which draws inspiration from his personal experiences with alleged UFO sightings in his hometown of Port Talbot, Wales. The film, a directorial debut for Simon Ryninks, explores themes of grief and mystery through a humorous lens.
Ryninks stated that the film "couldn't ever be set anywhere else" but Wales, citing his own return to west Wales after his mother's passing as an inspiration for the setting and its thematic exploration of grief with a "lightness of touch."
Sheen, who has spoken publicly about his encounter, described two separate incidents from his childhood. The first occurred when he was eight years old, and he was told by a neighbor that she had witnessed a UFO hovering over her garden. He recalled believing the account due to the neighbor's apparent sensibility. The second incident took place when Sheen was 12. After disembarking from a school bus, he reported seeing a series of lights emerge from behind a mountain and float over the sea. He described the lights as a "phalanx" and immediately thought they were UFOs. Sheen recounted standing transfixed, watching the lights move over the ocean before they disappeared, and noted that no one believed him at the time. He has since heard that other people have reported seeing similar phenomena in Port Talbot.
'Out There' features Welsh actor Nerys Amber Stocks in the main role of Maz, a character who becomes convinced that a mysterious UFO sighting is connected to her father's disappearance. The film is produced by Tibo Travers of Sweetdoh Films and Katie Dolan of Bad Cat.