Before They Were Stars: Steven Spielberg Directs “Firelight”

Like many prominent directors, Steven Spielberg spent his youth making his own personal short films, but did you know he actually put together a feature-length 140-minute film at the age of 17?! In 1964, Spielberg and his friends decided to make a sci-fi flick about an alien invasion called Firelight. It had a budget of $500 and actually got a screening in front of 500 people at Spielberg’s local cinema, the Phoenix Little Theatre. They each purchased a one-dollar ticket to see the film and Spielberg always likes to joke that he made a $1 profit on Firelight because someone accidentally paid two dollars for their ticket that night. You can certainly see some early inspiration for Close Encounters of the Third Kind in this brief clip. The full version of Firelight has never been released and Spielberg probably prefers to keep it that way, but really, how can you not admire a teenager with the ambition to make a film that’s nearly two-and-a-half hours long?!