Made with the approval of aliens

I was vaguely aware of Australian based director Phillipe Mora, who seems to have made a remarkable number of barely noticed films in his day, but I hadn’t recalled that he directed the alien abduction movie “Communion”.  (Not that I ever saw that one either.)  In any event, for some reason, Mora is talking in the Sydney Morning Herald today about how it came to be made, giving us this amusing anecdote:

In 1986 I dined with Dr Andrija Puharich, famed para- psychologist, Tesla expert, UFO proponent and magic-mushroom maven was was reportedly funded by the CIA in the 1950s to undertake mind-control research. He introduced me and my wife to a little person, a woman he described as his "psychic bodyguard". Our hostess was a movie executive and we were to discuss my forthcoming film, Communion. Halfway through, Puharich excused himself, saying he had to telephone the aliens to get their OK on me. I said to the psychic bodyguard, "I didn't know the aliens had a phone number?" She replied, "Oh yes, they do." Puharich returned and declared, "Everything is fine; they approve you!" I was hoping he'd say they would also finance the movie or guarantee distribution.

Of course, this anecdote may not be entirely true, but I like it anyway.  It’s certainly less cringe-worthy than a certain other anecdote about Australian film maker circles.