Welcome Space Brothers

WELCOME SPACE BROTHERS unveils the true story of The Unarius Academy of Science, an extraterrestrial-channeling spiritual school in Southern California who in the late 1970s became a wildly prolific filmmaking collective under the direction of their outlandish spiritual leader Ruth E. Norman, AKA “Archangel Uriel.”

Through intimate interviews with key members of the Unarius community, including its charismatic founders Ruth Norman (known as Uriel) and her husband Ernest (known as Raphiel), it unravels the Unarians’ compelling narrative of intergalactic communication, reincarnation, and the healing power of creative expression through their elaborate science fiction-inspired public access films.

Blending archival footage, vibrant visual effects, and candid reflections from current and former members, “Welcome Space Brothers” offers a thought-provoking glimpse into a community driven by a profound belief in the transformative potential of cosmic consciousness. Ultimately, “Welcome Space Brothers” invites audiences to contemplate the intersection of spirituality, imagination, and the human quest for connection with the cosmos, revealing a unique and thought-provoking perspective on the outer limits of belief and the boundless nature of human creativity.

2023 | 101 mins | US | Color | Documentary, Sci-fi

The filmmaker is expected to be in attendance for a post-film discussion.

About the Filmmaker

Jodi Wille (Director) is a filmmaker, curator, and book publisher known for her in-depth work exploring American subcultures and visionary artists. She directed and produced the acclaimed documentary THE SOURCE FAMILY (2013), which world-premiered in competition at SXSW Film Festival and had a 60-city theatrical run. WELCOME SPACE BROTHERS is her second feature documentary.

Wille is co-founder of award-winning book publishing companies Process Media, Dilettante Press, and Otherworld, and recently released the coffee table book FAMILY: THE SOURCE FAMILY SCRAPBOOK (Sacred Bones/Otherworld, 2022). She has curated national museum and gallery exhibitions in the US and internationally featuring the art and films of self-taught artists and alternative spiritual communities. She has been presenting the films and artwork of The Unarius Academy of Science at museums, cinematheques, and international film festivals since 2014 and has been actively documenting them since 2015. 

Director’s Statement

As a filmmaker, art curator, and book editor, I’ve spent 25 years working with subcultural archives and documenting self taught artists and alternative spiritual communities. The Unarius Academy of Science is a spiritual and healing community that has been dismissed, mocked, and demonized by journalists and the media for decades. I first came across them in the ’90s, when their TV shows aired on public access stations in Los Angeles. Film aficionados and fans of outsider culture I knew would record their videos off the public access channels in L.A and trade the VHS cassettes like rare jewels with friends in other cities. If you wanted to be considered a connoisseur of pop culture, knowing Unarius was imperative. 

Several years ago as I was curating “The Visionary Experience” exhibition for the American Visionary Art Museum in Baltimore, the Unariuns, still active after 50 years, invited me to examine their archive—a massive collection of art and artifacts that blew my mind in its scope, size, and aesthetic potency. I discovered a wildly prolific, largely working-class creative collective of misfits who made inspired, aesthetically powerful artwork–not for commercial gain or career ambitions, but for the purpose of spiritual and emotional healing. And they were led by a deeply fascinating, complicated woman who became an independent film director in her late 70s! With no experience and limited resources, she directed multiple feature films and 100 television shows, which aired repeatedly on public access television for decades. She directed the group like a Warholian West Coast factory, but one dedicated to personal and cultural transformation.

As I spent more time with the Unariuns, I was moved by their kindness, self-awareness, humor, and sense of service to others. They’re good neighbors in their community, and they’ve found a way to live functionally in our dysfunctional society by cultivating rich and meaningful inner worlds and a community to support each other. I discovered that the colorful history of the group and Archangel Uriel, and the metaphysical history of Southern California, is far wilder, stranger, and more beautiful than I could have possibly imagined.