Hope In The Stars

One woman's celestial search for answers to earthly challenges.

We need your support to tell this incredible story on Loading Docs’ award-winning short documentary platform.

THE FILM

Alexis Smith, a zoologist turned filmmaker, embarks on an extraordinary journey into the unknown as she joins an underground network of individuals in Aotearoa dedicated to making contact with extraterrestrial life. Through meditation under the stars, this group seeks to invite otherworldly visitors to Earth, not for spectacle, but in a quest for wisdom and a hope to find healing for a world teetering on the edge.

Enticed by their unique blend of science and spirituality, Alexis joins them to find answers on her personal quest for existential truth and hope. Exploring themes of embracing our authentic self and the human need for connection, it's a journey that will challenge our perceptions of life and the universe while offering a chance for a transformative encounter. But what shadows will Alexis encounter in herself to get there?

WHY I WANT TO MAKE THIS FILM

News of extraterrestrials is hitting the headlines around the world, including high-profile congressional hearings and the highest rates of UAP sightings ever recorded. With such mixed messages from those in power, it’s hard to know what information to trust, which is what makes independent documentaries like these so valuable. After discovering this extraterrestrial meditation network in New Zealand, I feel it’s my duty as a filmmaker to explore their stories to find the truth for myself. I do wonder if they are onto something that the mainstream is just catching up with. 

I’ve always been fascinated by the big questions in life, like ‘who are we?’ and ‘what is the nature of reality?’ The scientist in me keeps me grounded, while the child in me keeps me connected to the magic of life. I would LOVE to have an encounter with an extraterrestrial during the making of this film (never thought I’d be saying that). But whatever happens I know there will be many other powerful messages to share, like the courage of being your true self in the face of stigma and the beauty of connecting with nature in a modern world that is disconnected.

THE TARGET

As part of the Loading Docs initiative, we need to raise a minimum of $5,000 through Boosted. Once we reach our minimum target, it will unlock additional funding from Loading Docs. But this is an all-or-nothing campaign. If we don’t reach our target, we get nothing! That’s why we need your help. 

Your generous donations will go towards crew hire, filming equipment, travel to the South Island’s dark sky reserve, accommodation, and the essentials needed for four cold nights under the stars in search of ETs. They will also cover the many other costs associated with high-quality documentary production, including editor hire, editing equipment, music rights, sound design, and much more.

This is a labour of love for us filmmakers. It is our art and our purpose, so we are giving everything to make this film the best it can be. Your help through donating and sharing will have a profound impact on our ability to achieve our grand ambitions. Our goal is to make a world-class cinematic documentary that will travel the globe through film festivals and online streaming platforms to inspire and serve audiences around the globe.

Loading Docs is funded by NZ On Air with support from the New Zealand Film Commission and Te Māngai Pāho. 

Thank you for your support.

THE TEAM

Alexis Smith - Director Alexis Smith is a multi-award-winning director from Scotland. Her zoology degree sent her to faraway lands like the Amazon rainforest, Red Sea and Madagascar. In 2014, she joined the BBC and set off around Europe and the USA, making primetime science documentaries for worldwide broadcast. Since moving to New Zealand in 2018, she has directed documentaries for all the major platforms, including music series ‘The Collective’ (2021) (Award of Merit at IndieFest and finalist at NZ Web Fest); debut feature documentary ‘TE ARA the path’ (2023) (Special Jury Award and the People's Choice Award at New Zealand Mountain Film Festival, Best Adventure Short at Boulder International Film Festival, Award of Excellence at Impact Doc Awards and Finalist at Banff Mountain Film Festival) and award-winning returning primetime docuseries ‘Unbreakable’ (2024) for TVNZ 1. Having travelled most of Earth through her work, she’s now setting her sights on other planets. 

Harry Wynn - Producer Harry Wynn is the 2023 recipient of the SPADA New Filmmaker Award and is mentored by acclaimed documentary director Sally Aitken through Script to Screen’s FilmUp programme. Harry is directing the series, We’ve Always Been Here, about Aotearoa’s LGBTQIA= history, set for release on TVNZ during Pride 2025. He has written and directed three documentaries ranging in topics from methamphetamine use within Auckland’s gay community, Chlöe Swarbrick’s momentous 2020 campaign run and a teenage competitive bodybuilder. Harry has also production managed several TV series for companies such as Greenstone, Attitude and NIWA. 

Helena Bowater – Associate Producer Helena Bowater, a rising filmmaker from Kapiti, has been on her filmmaking journey since the age of 13. Her passion for storytelling led her to the New Zealand Broadcasting School, where she produced multiple short films. Since relocating to Tāmaki Makaurau, Helena has delved into documentary filmmaking, serving roles from researcher to production coordinator on projects like Brave New Zealand World,  You, Me and Anxiety and many others. Helena thrives on collaborative ventures with like-minded creatives, fuelling her ambition to tell the stories closest to her.