The legendary filmmaker opens up about aliens, his new UFO thriller Disclosure Day, and why he believes humanity is on the verge of something historic.
At 79 years old, Steven Spielberg has spent decades transporting audiences to other worlds. But during a keynote conversation at SXSW in Austin this weekend, the director made it clear he is no longer interested in fiction when it comes to one particular topic.
“I don’t know any more than any of you do, but I have a very strong suspicion that we are not alone here on Earth right now — and I made a movie about that,” Spielberg told the audience during a live interview with podcaster Sean Fennessey.
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The moment was electric. Here was the man who defined the modern alien encounter with Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977) and E.T. (1982) — films that shaped how generations think about extraterrestrial life — now standing in front of a live audience, making what sounded remarkably like a confession.
“The Big Question Is: Are We Alone Now?”
Spielberg’s comments come amid a seismic shift in how the topic of UFOs — now officially termed UAPs (Unidentified Aerial Phenomena) — is discussed in mainstream circles. The filmmaker acknowledged being “reinvigorated” into making his first UFO movie since Close Encounters by two major catalysts: The New York Times’ 2017 exposé on a secret government program tracking UFOs, and the recent congressional hearings featuring government whistleblowers.
“The big question is: Are we alone now?” Spielberg said. “And have we been alone over the last 80 years? Have we been alone over the last few thousand years?”
He also addressed former President Barack Obama’s recent viral comment confirming aliens are “real.” Spielberg’s reaction? Pure, unfiltered enthusiasm for his upcoming project.
“Oh, my God, this is so great for Disclosure Day!” he recalled thinking. “And two days later, he stepped it back to say what he believed was life in the cosmos — which, of course, everybody should believe in. Because no one should ever think that we are the only intelligent civilization in the entire universe.”
