In 1994, Dr John Mack and research associate Dominique Callimanopulos traveled to Zimbabwe to research one of the most extraordinary group sightings of a UFO in recent times. At the Ariel School in Ruwa, Zimbabwe, 60 children reported seeing a landed UFO during recess. In 2007, Dominique Callimanopulos and Randall Nickerson began production of an edited video program presenting John Mack’s interviews with the schoolchildren and faculty. The film became a consuming passion of Nickerson’s, and he spent 9 months in Africa to broaden the scope of the film far beyond our initial expectations, discovering new witnesses that corroborate the students’ accounts. He is now editing, after returning from a follow-up visit to Africa in 2009, and visits with the now-adult children in 2010.
| The John E Mack Institute is seeking donations to complete the full length program. We urgently need your contribution to this unique and historic project. Please contact Dominique Callimanopulos at elevatedominique@gmail.com or use our PayPal donate button. Thank you. |
In 1994, Harvard Professor of Psychiatry John E. Mack, M.D. traveled to Zimbabwe with research associate Dominique Callimanopulos to study one of the most extraordinary sightings of a UFO in recent times. At the Ariel School in Ruwa, Zimbabwe, sixty-two children between the ages of eight and twelve reported seeing a UFO and “strange beings” during morning recess. Dr. Mack, who died in 2004, wrote about this in his 1999 book Passport to the Cosmos.
In 2007, on behalf of the John E. Mack Institute, Dominique Callimanopulos and filmmaker Randall Nickerson began production of a non-commercial, edited video program presenting John Mack’s interviews with the schoolchildren and faculty.
These interviews constitute one of the most impressive UFO sighting and alien encounter cases in recent history, and serve as an exemplary demonstration of the interviewing skills and sensitivity John Mack exercised when working with people reporting extraordinary experiences.
| Listen to an Ariel School student interviewed by Dr. Mack (mp3) |
The goal of producing this video program is to preserve the historical record of this compelling case in a format that can be accessible to students and educators.
The program is being made primarily from original Betacam footage that was shot between November 28 and December 6, 1994.
In 2008, filmmaker Randall Nickerson departed for Africa to gather additional information about this most remarkable case. He remained there for nine months, gathering powerful interviews with many of the now-adult witnesses.
Randy Nickerson, Filmmaker
Randy Nickerson has worked on both sides of the camera, as an actor and a filmmaker. He has a keen interest in the human condition and trauma recovery. His most recent work includes a film, titled “A Silence in the Heard”, about the significance of listening and silence on an interpersonal and global level. Randy is also a classical pianist and nature photographer.
Dominique Callimanopulos, M.Ed., Producer
Dominique Callimanopulos collaborated with John Mack from 1993-1998, exploring the cross-cultural aspects of alien encounters. Dr. Mack wrote about this exploration in his 1999 book, Passport to the Cosmos.
2011 Update:
Despite the death of the film’s primary funder, former JEMI board member Sandra Wright, work on the Ariel School Sighting film has continued thanks in large part to filmmaker Randall Nickerson, who has endeavored to work on the film between other paid jobs. Naturally this has extended the time-frame for when the film will be completed, but progress has been substantial.
2009 Update:
Boston Globe article
Say you’re a documentary filmmaker. Someone comes to you with four hours of riveting archival footage taken in Zimbabwe starring a Pulitzer Prize-winning Harvard psychiatrist, and asks you to turn it into a film. It involves travel. Investigative work. A mystery… (Read Article)
2008 Update:
The South African newspaper The Witness reports on the progress of the John E. Mack Institute’s documentary about the Ariel School Sighting. By the way, the article generated over 8500 views for the newspaper, 6000+ from the United States. As comparison, a top news story in The Witness tends to generate between 1500 and 5000 views, so this article received substantially more attention than usual.
The day the aliens landed16 Apr 2008 Stephen Coan, The Witness American film maker Randall Nickerson is currently visiting southern Africa to make a documentary that follows up an incident that happened at the Ariel School in Ruwa, Zimbabwe, in 1994, when 62 children aged between eight and 12 reported seeing a UFO and “strange beings” during their morning break. Those children are now young adults scattered around the globe. Nickerson is tracking them down and interviewing them about the experience. “Their stories have not changed at all,” he says. “Not what you would expect if they had made it all up.” So what exactly happened on that day in 1994 at the school in Ruwa just east of Harare? “It was morning break and they were out in the school yard playing,” says Nickerson. “They saw one main silver craft that had four others around it,” says Nickerson. “It came down on a hill beyond the school yard that was out of bounds. The boundary was the edge of the school yard, then it was bush and the hill. “They ran to the edge of the school yard to see what this thing was. They saw this small creature walk around on top of the craft while another came down to check out the children. He was all in black, with a very tight suit. The children said he had big eyes ‘like rugby balls’. “The children had direct eye contact with this creature. There seems to have been some kind of communication with the children about the state of the world — what we are doing to the planet, the destruction we are causing, although not all the children got this message. Some of the children were traumatised, others were excited. The young children were the most traumatised as they were at the front of the group. “They all went screaming back to the teachers. The teachers didn’t believe them at first. But then they went home and told their parents who came to the school and wanted to know what had happened.” Soon afterwards the children were asked to draw pictures of what they had seen. “They did this separately. The drawings were all the same.” A BBC television crew were first on the scene to follow it up. In November 1994, Harvard professor of psychiatry John E. Mack visited the school and filmed interviews with the children. He was assisted by South African producer Nicky Carter who had already made a short documentary on the subject for the SABC. “I had a half-brother at the school,” she says. “He was off sick on the day it happened, but the children told him all about it and he contacted me.” Carter has no doubt the children were telling the truth. “When they were interviewed by Mack with all his professional skills it was clear they were telling the truth — their voice tone, their body language. They were so consistent, they told their stories with such conviction. And they spoke about it in their own language. One child recalled being told by the alien that we should not be so ‘techknowledged’ — why make up something like that?” Mack, a Pulitzer prize winner for his biography of T. E. Lawrence (Lawrence of Arabia) titled A Prince of Our Disorder, was a highly respected psychiatrist. However, when he began researching the phenomenon of reported alien abductions, his fellow academics looked askance. In 1994, when his book Abduction appeared, a committee was appointed to review Mack’s clinical care and investigation of the people who had shared their alien encounters with him. According to the BBC, “It was the first time in Harvard’s history that a tenured professor was subjected to such an investigation.” After 14 months of inquiry, Harvard issued a statement stating that the dean had “reaffirmed Dr Mack’s academic freedom to study what he wishes and to state his opinions without impediment”. In 2004, Mack was killed by a drunk driver while he was visiting London to lecture at a T. E. Lawrence conference. Mack was guarded in his interpretation of the abduction phenomenon. To one interviewer who said that Mack seemed “inclined to take these [abduction] reports at face value”, Mack replied saying: “Face value I wouldn’t say. I take them seriously. I don’t have a way to account for them.” In a BBC interview he said: “I would never say, yes, there are aliens taking people. [But] I would say there is a compelling powerful phenomenon here that I can’t account for in any other way. Yet I can’t know what it is but it seems to me that it invites a deeper, further inquiry.” Nickerson sees himself as taking that inquiry further after being commissioned by the John E. Mack Institute, along with producer Dominique Callimanopulos, to make a documentary incorporating the interview footage shot in 1994 with follow-up material shot in the present. “I want to present the story objectively,” says Nickerson. “To show the original raw material. That’s what initially interested me about this case. These children all describing seeing the same thing. You can tell they are not lying. But having seen this footage I thought: I need to go to this place, to talk to people, I need to investigate it for myself. Did this really happen? “The subject has to be approached as scientifically as possible,” he says. “There are questions that we need to ask. It’s a case of presenting the evidence just like court.” Despite this rigorous approach, isn’t there a danger he will simply encounter those on the “lunatic fringe”? “I have found those are the people who have all the answers, but people to whom something like this has really happened don’t. They have millions of questions. There is a humility about them, they realise it’s not about them. At the beginning of the project Nickerson set about contacting those people who had been among the 62 children who had witnessed the sighting. They are mainly students in Canada, the United States, New Zealand and Britain. Tracking them down hasn’t been that difficult. “They are contacting us because of what we put up on the John E. Mack Institute website. What is interesting is that their stories remain the same as in 1994. “They were affected profoundly,” says Nickerson. “At the time one girl was told by her parents not to talk about it, that she had imagined it all. But then she found other people’s stories on the Internet. She got in touch with them and realised ‘Oh my God, that was real’. “Others I’ve met never doubted it. They say the experience opened up new horizons for them.” Nickerson cites two students who are now studying in the U.S. “Their father said they would never have done that, but after their experience the children were totally changed, that’s what convinced him that something really happened.” Nickerson’s first stop during his visit to southern Africa was Ariel School. “I interviewed teachers and workers who were there at the time.” He also came across people from two different schools in the area who had similar sightings on the same day. Nickerson is now in South Africa trying to track down those living here who were witnesses on that day. He will be here until the end of April following up leads resulting from two radio interviews he has given. If you witnessed the Ariel School sighting or have any information regarding it, you can contact Randall Nickerson at — — —- or e-mail rsnick@gmail.com You can also contact Nicky Carter at 072 632 2330 or producer Dominique Callimanopulos on domcall94@gmail.com © 2008 The Witness, The Witness, 45 Willowton Rd, Pietermaritzburg 3200 Download PDF of the actual newspaper page or Read at The Witness newspaper website |
The South African newspaper Cape Times also reported on the continuing progress of the John E. Mack Institute’s documentary about the Ariel School Sighting.
US film maker in city to probe UFO sightings
Tom Powell, Cape Times American film-maker Randall Nickerson is in Cape Town this week seeking inspiration for a documentary he is putting together about a UFO sighting in Zimbabwe in 1994. During morning break on September 14 of that year, 62 schoolchildren between the ages of eight and 12 saw a strange craft land 150 metres from the Ariel School in Ruwa, from which two small beings emerged which were described as having “big eyes like rugby balls”. The children’s individual descriptions of the phenomenon were so similar that news of the sighting spread around the globe. Nickerson was approached with footage taken by the late Pulitzer Prize-winning Professor John Mack, who travelled to Zimbabwe to interview the children after the event. Nickerson said: “This is a story the world needs to see. Personally, I think it’s moving. I’ve found hundreds, if not thousands, of people who believe it and couldn’t find anyone who didn’t. It blew my mind when I saw it.” Although Nickerson admits the footage of the event makes it difficult to disprove the phenomenon, he doesn’t want his film to be biased. “I don’t want to steer the documentary in any direction at all. I’d rather present all the evidence and let people make up their own minds.” Refusing to believe so many people can be mistaken, Nickerson is visiting southern Africa to shed light on those events. Having visited the school itself, Nickerson is now in Cape Town to track down some witnesses and investigate some “unearthly” sightings that occurred in South Africa, including two UFO sightings in Port Shepstone and Johannesburg in April. Anyone who saw the event in Zimbabwe can contact Nickerson on — — —- or by e-mail at rsnick@gmail.com This article was originally published on page 4 of Cape Times on August 26, 2008, http://www.capetimes.co.za/index.php?fArticleId=4576833 |
September 26, 2011
I would very much like to help this project by promotion on my website and Radio interviews/mentions with those involved with this project to help move it forward to completion! I feel this work needs to be done! Please feel free to contact me regarding our interest and we hope to hear from you soon!
Regards,
Race Hobbs
Eye Witness Radio
October 5, 2011
This will be very interesting to see the kids back then, now in their early 20′s do an interview. This will be a great film.
February 15, 2012
I saw the initial interviews in a documentary aired in Australia about2007, called The Experiencers. I have never been the same since. This story is something the world needs to know about
February 17, 2012
Glad to see there’s actually a follow up regarding this case. I first ear of it back in 2008, watching the experiencer on YouTube. Regarding YouTube, there’s a lots of people who where asking for a follow up and there it is..
I will share the link to this website for them. cheers and good luck.
February 22, 2012
We had a bit of a delay on the film when one of the people involved on the funding side passed away, but Nickerson is resuming work presently. And in fact Nickerson is bringing in another filmmaker as a consultant, who I do not believe I can name at the moment, but whose participation is most welcomed.
February 29, 2012
This is great news to me… For years I’ve been hoping for someone to do a follow up on this story. Can’t believe I’m only now just hearing about it! This is a story everyone needs to know about. Can’t wait for its eventual release. Keep up the excellent work!
March 23, 2012
Hi
There was an event near mexico the 16th september 1994 at THE SAME TIME of ariel school sighting. A lot of features here :
http://rr3project.wordpress.com/
Enjoy
Best regards
April 2, 2012
Hola en el año 1997 protagonice un encuentro con seres extraterrestres este caso de los niños de esa escuela lo creo completamente hayo raro la muerte de esa señora que estudiaba las abducciones saludos
April 3, 2012
Pablo, I am sorry, but babelfish is not translating your comment properly, so I am not sure what you are saying. You might be asking for the name of the African researcher who first arrived on the scene. Her name was Cynthia Hind.
April 11, 2012
Very much looking forward to this documentary but I hope that JEMI will somehow make available the full uncut interviews Dr. Mack did with the children.
April 17, 2012
@George – In fact that is all we’d hired Nickerson to do – to present the archival footage. He expanded the film beyond our request. But we will make sure that every bit of it ends up in the finished film. If for any reason it does not, you can safely expect any missing bits to appear as bonus materials.
May 21, 2012
Very tragic about Dr Mack. All the more reason to see this through
I just completed a commissioned painting of an incident that happened to friends at Silbury Hill, Wiltshire, UK encountering light beings in July 1994 when I live in the area. 1994 seems to have been a power year of activity.
This subject has been an enigma for so long and sheds more questions than answers. Look forward to the full disclosure of these events. Keep trekking
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July 3, 2012
Can u use Kickstarter to raise money for the film? I have several friends that have made their new music CDs that way. One just raised over $10,000 in less than 2 months;) Best of Luck to u all!;D
July 11, 2012
II live in Va. Beach, Va . I’m a member of the Edgar Cayce foundation
and have attended several UFO Conferences sponsored there.
It seems like participating in one of these highly attended events
Might provide an opportunity to educate people who don’t even know
Who Dr Mack was and have no awareness of this event. I see much
Fundraising potential. Look at what Steven Greer is doing…
July 11, 2012
@Robin, I believe many of the JEMI board members have deep respect for Edgar Cayce’s philosophies and compassion.
I imagine that when our film is complete, that we would be very keen on screening the film at the foundation in Virginia Beach. We’ll try for an invite at that time. Seems like a good fit.
July 19, 2012
We owe Nickerson a hugendebt of gratitude in taking on this project. I for one cannot wait to hear what the now adults have to say. So exciting
July 19, 2012
Is there a release date for the film? How about a trailer?
July 19, 2012
A trailer is being cut by a friend of ours we met at the SciFi Channel back when Taken was aired. (I know it is SyFy Channel now, but at the time it was SciFi Channel). When we receive it we will post it here and on John Mack’s Facebook page.
Pingback: The 62 children Africa case. - Page 2
October 20, 2012
Hi,im from the uk.from personnal experience,and 3o+ years reseach in this field,my observations conclude these beings are most definitivly not what they would have us believe,lets have no bull shit this IS abduction,most if not all experiencers initially are taken against there will.we have a law on this planet,we call it kidnapping,and was once in the u.s.a punishable by death..If THEY where what they portend to be,would they not only respect our lawfull rights,but have an aggenda inline with human rights..these beings when confronted with statement ..you have no right to experiment on me against my will..respond..yes we have..this at base is arrogance…Be not decieved with what we are dealing with here,they have an aggenda that is not in our best interest…
October 20, 2012
@Rodney – You’d have to assume that they have the same concepts of individuality, of free will, of negotiation, and assume that they’d understand that we reserve the option to decline to help someone (assuming they or their species need help), in order to even begin to judge them on the same terms that we judge other human beings. Simply put there may be too much of a divide in the ways of thinking to apply human laws or human concepts to an alien species. Great discussion, but, a bit off-topic from the Ariel School Sighting. There is a forum at unknowncountry.com (Whitley Strieber’s site) that is open for debate about these philosophical matters.
November 28, 2012
Very glad to see that the documentary is approaching completion and I look forward to viewing it somehow. “…..too Techknowledged.” This phrase has stuck with me for years after first hearing it spoken by the young girl witness. As I view any broadcast TV channel in primetime here in the USA, I can’t help but be amazed at what is being hawked non-stop in commercials. Smart phones, tablets, PCs, phone applications, internet service, they dominate all advertisements. Look around any shared public space and it seems everyone under 30 has a set of ear buds in whilst gazing obediently at some electronic device. Yes I’m of a different generation but this isn’t natural, far from it and 18 years on those words have more meaning than ever. Religion used to be the opiate of the masses, now it is…….
November 30, 2012
Is there any updates on the film?
November 30, 2012
Tired of waiting for Ariel Phenomenon, our film about the Ariel School Sighting, to be finished? There’s a teaser about it in the new issue of Open Minds magazine. (But if you’re the kind of filmgoer who likes to avoid spoilers, you may want to wait a little bit longer!)
Open Minds magazine December/January 2012/13 is available at
store.openminds.tv
February 28, 2013
Any news on the release date for the film?
December 4, 2012
To Randall, Dominique and the team at JEMI.
Best wishes for this film project and well done on all your efforts to get it this far! Sounds like you are almost there!
As the main researcher for the the documentary on the 1966 Westall Flying Saucer Incident in Melbourne, titled “Westall ’66: A Suburban UFO Mystery”, I know how long and hard the road can be to create these type of films. I have also been very interested in the obvious links between what happened to the school children at Ruwa in 1994 and what happened to the kids at Westall in 1966.
Kind regards from Canberra.
Shane Ryan.
http://www.westall66ufo.com.au
(See also: Westall Flying Saucer Incident on Facebook)
December 18, 2012
that’s interesting Shane. I was 10-years old in 1966, living in Thomastown, at the northen end of Melbourne. I don’t recall the incident on which the film is based, but as a 10-year old that’s not unusual. I’ll keep an eye out for the film.
January 12, 2013
Would be good to see them polygraph tested – there’s no way they would ALL be able to pass if any of them were lying. Personally I have no doubt that this was a very real incident, 1994 (and around that time) was a significant period for extraterrestrial activity.
March 27, 2013
I too would like to see this project finished and would be very interested in knowing how the incident, and recollections of the then-children compare to a very similar, and widely reported incident that occurred in Vorenzh, Russia in September of 1989 (three separate “alien visitation” incidents involving crowds of witnesses, many children). That was probably the single most important alleged alien-encounter story of the 1980s and was generally taken quite seriously by the Russian media and officialdom, but it was overshadowed by the momentous events taking place in Germany at the same time.
March 29, 2013
This story has basically changed the way I see the world.
May 13, 2013
this documentary is taking so long its embarrassing ! I’m now convinced mr Nickerson is a CIA plant! he’s done a great job if so anyway…and if miss callimanopulos is a Greek shipping heiress(see vanity fair)funding would be the equivalent of me putting 50 cents in a charity bucket! cough up and finish it!!!