The 10 best UFO documentaries

The 2020s have been an exciting time for UFO enthusiasts, as the U.S. government has finally admitted that yes, their pilots do see a lot of strange things in the sky, and yes, they are looking into it. As UFOs become UAPs (unidentified aerial phenomena), however, we’re still no closer to answering some of the major questions that keep believers up at night: Who’s piloting these crafts? Where do they come from? What do they want from us?

There are a few different ways to look at the phenomenon. Maybe they’re physical beings piloting actual spaceships. Or perhaps the explanation is more mystical; some experts speculate that alien encounters and religious experiences have more in common than one might think. The films featured here all look at the topic from different angles, exploring multiple hypotheses and coming to provocative conclusions. We still don’t know exactly what’s out there — decide for yourself after watching the 10 best UFO documentaries.

01 of 10

Ariel Phenomenon (2022)

The Ariel Phenomenon — String Theory Films, LLC

Director Randall Nickerson spent more than a decade gathering material for this recent documentary, which tells the story of a massive otherworldly sighting and the psychological effects of not being believed. On September 16, 1994, 60 children claimed they saw a UFO on their school grounds in rural Zimbabwe; their accounts were dismissed, but the group is still sticking to their story nearly 30 years later. The Ariel Phenomenon follows one of those witnesses as she returns to the site of the event as an adult, bringing in a BBC reporter and a Harvard professor to corroborate her story — and those of her classmates — for the first time.

Where to watch Ariel Phenomenon: Amazon Prime Video (to rent)

02 of 10

I Know What I Saw (2009)

James Fox is a mainstay of the UFO sighting scene, and his film for the History Channel is considered one of the most thorough and well-researched documentaries on the “nuts and bolts” side of extraterrestrial research. Fox’s focus here is on the link between the U.S. military and the UFO phenomenon: What do they know, how long have they known it, and why aren’t they sharing this information with the public? His approach is straightforward and fact-based, utilizing footage from congressional hearings and press conferences, along with interviews with retired military and government officials, to lend an air of legitimacy to the subject.

Where to watch I Know What I Saw: Tubi

03 of 10

Love & Saucers (2017)

David Huggins, a New Jersey-based artist who claims to have had a consensual sexual relationship with a female alien that lasted for several years, could be nothing more than a joke. What makes this documentary about Huggins so good though is that it doesn’t treat him as one, instead using his story as a jumping-off point into an earnest exploration of the nature of belief, and, indeed, of reality itself. Sequences of Huggins explaining his artwork — a series of paintings depicting his encounters that numbers in the hundreds — to skeptical gallery-hoppers skillfully strike a tricky tonal balance, and the addition of a religious studies professor who compares Huggins’ experiences to those of medieval saints brings a fresh, fascinating perspective.

Where to watch Love & Saucers: Tubi

04 of 10

Mirage Men (2013)

This provocative documentary, based on the book of the same name by Mark Pilkington and John Lundberg, presents a radical alternative theory of UFOs: That they’re all lies. What the directors posit is that, 60 years ago, the U.S. military deliberately concocted the extraterrestrial phenomenon as a way to distract the public from classified weapons research, and that the government has been manipulating belief in aliens ever since. Interviews with former members of the AFOSI (Air Force Office of Special Investigations) officers support Pilkington and Lundberg’s case, and the film has a spooky aura that makes you feel as if you’re being watched. But by who?

Where to watch Mirage Men: Kanopy

05 of 10

Moment of Contact (2022)

Another documentary investigation of a global extraterrestrial event, this film focuses on the Varginha UFO Incident, which began in the winter of 1996 when three teenage girls saw a four foot tall creature with a huge head and red eyes they described as “the devil” in Varginha, Brazil. Things get even weirder from there, and this latest film from documentarian James Fox shines a light on a lesser-known example of a so-called UFO “flap” in his deep-dive, interview-based style.

Where to watch Moment of Contact: Plex

06 of 10

Out of the Blue (2003)

Billing itself as “the definitive investigation of the UFO phenomenon,” this 2003 film was originally produced for the Sci-Fi Channel, and its reputation has only grown in the years since its release. It also marked the directorial debut of James Fox, a name that appears no less than four times on this list. Fans praise the documentary for the depth of its research and its level-headed approach to what can be a very out-there topic. It’s convinced of the existence of UFOs, and argues this point passionately, which was a risky stance to take 20 years ago — but, given recent revelations, it’s a stance that’s aged as well as the documentary itself.

Where to watch Out of the Blue: Tubi

07 of 10

The Phenomenon (2020)

Documentarian and UFO expert James Fox’s 2020 follow-up to I Know What I Saw incorporates new information that’s come to light in the decade since that previous film’s release, creating an informative overview of what we know about what the U.S. government knows about UFOs (or, to use the more official term, UAPs). The documentary covers revelations from The New York Times’ bombshell 2017 investigation into the Pentagon’s clandestine UFO program, pairing it with new evidence for a movie that comes with the endorsement of both Jacques Vallée and now-deceased U.S. Senator Harry Reid.

Where to watch The Phenomenon: Plex

08 of 10

Unacknowledged (2017)

UFOlogist Steven M. Greer is the founder of the Disclosure Project, a group that advocates for classified information on extraterrestrials to be made available to the public. This crowdfunded 2017 documentary is part of that mission, collecting theories and stories from the early ‘60s through the present day that all point towards a government cover-up of the truth about aliens. Like I Know What I Saw, this film relies heavily on interviews with retired military personnel to give it credibility, along with archival footage to bolster Greer’s convincing case.

Where to watch Unacknowledged: Amazon Prime Video (to rent)

09 of 10

Unsolved Mysteries, “Something in the Sky” (2022)

The long-running newsmagazine show has performed dozens of investigations into extraterrestrial encounters, but this 2022 episode, part of the recent series revival on Netflix, is among the best. Its focus is on the UFO sightings that occurred all over West Michigan in 1994, where multiple people — including a National Weather Service meteorologist — saw what they described as clusters of lights flying over Lake Michigan before abruptly disappearing. This episode is structured around first-person interviews, and while it offers no clear answers, it’s pretty darn compelling.

Where to watch Unsolved Mysteries: Netflix

10 of 10

Witness of Another World (2018)

Like Ariel Phenomenon and Love & Saucers, this UFO documentary from director Alan Stivelman focuses on the human consequences of extraterrestrial contact. The film follows Juan, an Argentinian gaucho whose life was so shattered by an alien encounter that he still lives as a hermit and refuses to talk about what happened to him even 30 years later. Astronomer and UFOlogist Jacques Vallée appears to shed additional light on Juan’s story, and dramatic effects sequences dramatize the emotional impact of his close encounter.

Where to watch Witness of Another World: Tubi

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