Director Gino McKoy describes the upcoming Lumina as a film that explores “the psychological effect of losing someone to an alien abduction,” and it’s coming to theaters this summer.
You’ll be able to experience the abduction for yourself in theaters July 12, 2024.
“A terrifying sci-fi thrill ride, Lumina follows four friends desperately searching for their abductee friend in a DEEP UNDERGROUND MILITARY BASE. Whether they find their friend or not, what they find in the desert of the US to the sands of the Sahara, will change their lives forever.”
In his feature directing debut, Gino McKoy leads a cast that includes Eric Roberts, Rupert Lazarus, Eleanor Williams, Andrea Tivadar, Sidney Nicole Rogers, Ken Lawson, and Emily Hall.
Here’s the full plot synopsis for the upcoming Lumina…
“PATRICIA, a free-spirited Nubian hippie and amateur videographer, is staying at the house of her rich friend, ALEX, who decides to throw a party that will reunite old friends and introduce them to his new girl, TATIANA. The night seems destined for drama when he invites DELILAH, an old girlfriend who doesn’t hide her feelings for him. Despite the tension running through the celebration, the night goes off without a hitch.
“Everything changes with the sudden appearance of blinding lights from the sky. One second they’re there, the next they’re gone, and the only thing for sure is that Tatiana has disappeared.
“Months go by, during which Alex’s mental state deteriorates. He’s joins an online community of conspiracy theorists and UFO watchers and has even reached out to GEORGE, an old acquaintance whose beliefs demand a matching tin foil hat. Worried about him, Patricia calls Delilah. After a recent falling out Delilah has been reluctant to come by, but jumps at the opportunity to worm her way back into his life.
“Alex is convinced he must find Tatiana and he believes she’s in a DUMB. After an intensely vivid dream about Tatiana being held captive there. The four friends set out on a trip that will change some lives and take others. After being hunted by alien menaces, tracked by the government, and chased by lights in the sky, they quickly realize that they have gotten themselves in too deep.”
Watch the official teaser trailer below.
Gino McKoy said in a statement, “My heart has always been in the stars and space. Lumina was one of the toughest filmmaking journeys of my career and was also my debut film. I remember writing this movie in Florida at my family’s house. I was recovering from a movie in development hell. It was about the deep web and Bitcoin. I was the first in Hollywood to write about this topic and consulted with the FBI about it in 2010/2011. Then Lumina came…
“During my recovery, I found solace in writing Lumina. I wanted to see the psychological effect of losing someone to an alien abduction. How would it affect the people who knew that person, what would they do? I embarked or shall I say I went down the rabbit hole of conspiracies and alien abductions but I came out of it much more informed. Normally a topic like this is met with ridicule and laughter and, in some instances, passive-aggressive behavior toward people who claim to have experienced this phenomenon.
“We shot during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic from October 2020 to January 2021 in Morocco. Before shooting, our fellow producer almost died in a plane crash in the Colorado mountains, while he was on his way to visit us in Los Angeles. The problems snowballed, from an unscrupulous service producer in Morocco to losing my entire cast and having to recast in one week, to my DP being locked in the UK and unable to travel because of the second wave of COVID, to myself almost dying of food poisoning in Marrakech during pre-production. Lumina was a movie within a movie or the equivalent of shooting 10 Hollywood films.
“However, with all that said, abductions are real and millions experience this every year throughout the world. The stigma surrounding this has kept many from revealing the truth, but I spoke to the few who would talk. It was compelling to hear US Marines and other people in various sectors of society share their truth.
“Vindication for those ridiculed about their alien abduction stories happened in 2024 with the US congressional hearings of three former military officials under oath. Lumina is about the journey of a group of friends trying to find the truth and true storytelling at its core. If you are not emotionally attached to the characters in a movie, then it’s not worth watching or telling that story. Movies are emotions and through those emotions, we hope to find the truth and also enjoy living in that moment in time.
“Some say it’s Hollywood but is it Hollywood or art imitating real life and real abductions.”