A majestic manta ray glides gracefully through crystal-clear ocean waters, its large, flat body and long tail painting an elegant silhouette against the backdrop of deep blue.

Alien Contact

Nature & Wildlife·1 x 50 Min.·Completed

Join Emmy-winning filmmaker Rick Rosenthal and Dr. Csilla Ari as they explore the intelligence of giant manta rays. "Alien Contact" reveals their self-awareness and interaction with humans!

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Genre
Nature & Wildlife
Science
Duration
1 × 50 Min.
Definition
4K
Audio
5.1
Status
Completed
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Synopsis

Emmy award-winning filmmaker and marine biologist Rick Rosenthal teams up with neurobiologist Dr. Csilla Ari and others on his investigative journey to explore evidence of intelligent life, not in space, but in the sea – specifically, in giant manta rays. Might these alien-looking animals also be trying to make contact with us? There are intriguing clues.

Rick’s journey assembles a compelling case that not only are giant manta rays the smartest fish in the sea, but they may even be influencing the behavior of humans! From Mexico to Ecuador, Hawaii to the Bahamas, ALIEN CONTACT reveals the natural history and beauty of these, the most elegant of fishes. At the same time, it exposes their vulnerability while delivering the mind-blowing revelation that in terms of intelligence, giant manta rays may be closer to dolphins and elephants than many other animals.

Giant manta rays live life at extremes. Wingspans of almost 8 meters put them among the ocean’s largest inhabitants. And like whales, they migrate thousands of kilometers across oceans, and are equally at home on the surface as at great depths. We see their almost mammal-like courtship and mating displays as clues to their social sophistication.

But it is their apparent solicitation of human contact that sets Rick on his journey of exploration into the mind of the giant manta ray. From “training” a diver in Mexico to supply bubble massages from the exhalations of his scuba tank, to “dining” by night in the company of tourists in Hawaii, to seeking rescue from fishing-line entanglement, the evidence of some kind of higher intelligence in giant manta rays is compelling. In possibly its most radical assertion, ALIEN CONTACT suggests that giant manta rays may also be self-aware. It may be that they recognize themselves in a mirror – a level of intelligence seen only in a handful of other animals on earth.

Team

Directed and produced by Rick Rosenthal and Katya Shirokow
Executive producers Andrea Gastgeb, Sabine Holzer
Production companies A Terra Mater Studios/Wild Logic production

Awards & Recognitions

Eckernförde, Germany Green Screen - Internationales Naturfilmfestival Eckernförde Official Selection (Category: Best Science Film) 2024
Namur, Belgium FINN - Festival International Nature Namur Official Selection 2024
Busan, Korea Korea International Ocean Film Festival Official Selection 2024
Rotterdam, Netherlands WFFR - Wildlife Film Festival Rotterdam Official Selection 2024
Santa Barbara, USA SBIFF - Santa Barbara International Film Festival Official Selection 2024
Graz, Austria Mountainfilm International Filmfestival Graz Official Selection 2023
Hluboká nad Vltavou, Czech Republic IFF Water - Sea - Oceans Official Selection 2023
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