With UFO disclosure, unexplained encounters and the possibility of extraterrestrial life increasingly part of public conversation, a new British science-fiction short asks a rather different question: what if the truth isn’t somewhere out there, but much closer to home?
TAKEN BACK, a new independent short film from Initiative Motion Pictures and ESA Productions, is now available to watch on YouTube.
Starring Abby Jean, the film follows a young woman whose ordinary existence begins to unravel as strange experiences and unsettling discoveries point towards a truth about herself that she could never have imagined.
Drawing on the familiar mythology of alien encounters, government secrecy and unexplained phenomena, TAKEN BACK approaches its subject from a more personal perspective. Beneath the science-fiction mystery is a story about identity, belonging and what it means to discover that the place you’ve always called home may not be where you truly belong.
For director Adam Spinks, whose earlier independent science-fiction work includes Spaceman (2016 – Winner Best Short and Best Sci Fi at Harrogate Film Festival) and The Encounter at Boundless (2021, Dorking International Film Festival, available online via distribution partners Omeleto and Dust), TAKEN BACK marks a renewed effort to bring his independent genre filmmaking to wider audiences.
“What interested me about TAKEN BACK was the idea of turning the usual alien encounter story on its head. We’re so used to looking up at the sky and wondering what’s out there, but I liked the idea that the answer might already be here, living an entirely ordinary life.
There’s something quite moving about the thought of somebody discovering that
everything they’ve understood about themselves is incomplete. The film plays with all
the familiar ideas around UFOs and disclosure, but underneath that, it’s really asking
questions about identity, belonging and what home actually means.”
The film combines atmospheric cinematography, original astrophotography and visual
effects to create a science-fiction story that moves from the familiar surroundings of everyday life into something far more extraordinary.
With the public conversation surrounding UFOs and extraterrestrial life continuing to evolve, TAKEN BACK offers a fictional perspective on one of humanity’s oldest questions, while exploring the possibility that discovering where we come from might change our understanding of who we are.
Written and executive produced by Chris Mitchell for ESA Productions, the film stars
Abby Jean, with cinematography by Jerome Smith, astrophotography by Tristan White, editing by Phill Biggs, visual effects and motion graphics by Gareth Wells, and additional VFX by Luca Knibbs.
ALL WILL BE DISCLOSED.
TAKEN BACK is available to watch free on YouTube from 29 October 2026.
WATCH THE FILM: https://youtu.be/XUMOR2PXhMo
