Scroll
GENREDRAMA · COMEDY
RUNTIME14 MIN
WRITER • DIRECTORMELISSA MARS
UFH?
UFH [Unidentified Flying Human] is a powerful and timely satire about identity, belonging, and systemic bias. When a French-Arab actress is profiled as a threat and detained at a U.S. airport, her dream collides with a system that questions who she is.
A haunting short film, UFH serves as both a proof of concept and a prelude to My Ancestors' Song, the debut feature in development by award-winning filmmaker and actor Melissa Mars.
Runtime: 14 minutes · Genre: Drama / Comedy · Status: Pre-Production
CHARACTERS
Actor, writer and director, Mars has performed since age 13 on stage and screen, including From Paris with Love alongside John Travolta and Mozart the Rock Opera staged by Olivier Dahan (La Vie en Rose), praised as "spectacular" and "authentic." She draws from her own experience to play Ana Bel: a rising French-Algerian actress who deflects danger with humor, though the more she tells the truth, the worse it gets for her.
Perez is not a monster. Something more unsettling: a man completely comfortable in his authority, who has never once been asked to examine it. Determined to expose any threat — the embodiment of institutional suspicion and authority.
With an MFA in Acting and 25 years in NYC, Monica has voiced campaigns for the NYSE and Cartoon Network, as well as Melissa Mars' films The Last Touch and The Sign, appeared in Remedy (Netflix), The Pandora Machine (Prime), and originated roles in 50+ plays worldwide She brings to life Officer Keen. Born and raised in Texas, not cruel, complicit. Just self-aware enough to feel the discomfort.
CREATIVES
Melissa Mars is an international award-winning screenwriter, director, producer, actress, and singer-songwriter based in New York. Born and raised in France with Algerian heritage, she first gained international recognition through her lead role in the smash-hit musical Mozart the Rock Opera, staged by Olivier Dahan, before establishing herself as a filmmaker with the award-winning dystopian short The Last Touch and the acclaimed screenplay My Ancestors' Song. UFH is among more than ten projects Mars has written, directed, and produced.
Luigi Benvisto is an Italian cinematographer born in Varese, Italy, who developed a remarkable visual sensitivity after gradually losing his hearing as a child. A member of both the AIC and IMAGO, his career spans music videos, commercials, documentaries, and feature films, with standout credits including Cloud Kumo (Student Academy Award and Golden Eagle Award) and We Were Here, acclaimed at the 60th Venice Biennale, with projects at Cannes, Tribeca, and Sundance. UFH marks his first collaboration with Mars.
Kate Szekely is an actor and producer with roots in New York's Off-Broadway scene who brings over a decade of experience across theatre, film, and radio, including founding Epiphany Junkie. She has multiple short films on the festival circuit, a 2025 Gracie Award for Excellence in Radio Production, and has raised over $100K through grants and crowdfunding. Brought to UFH by Monica Blaze Leavitt, Kate joined because it is "precisely the kind of bold, personal story independent film exists to tell."
Monica Blaze Leavitt is an actor, dialect coach, and founding artistic member of the award-winning Off-Broadway company Transport Group, with credits including The Audience, All the Way Home, and Our Town. On screen she has appeared in Law & Order, Sex and the City, and Remedy (Netflix), and as a voice artist she has lent her talents to commercials for the NYSE, eHarmony, and Cartoon Network, as well as Melissa Mars' films The Last Touch and The Sign. For UFH, she co-produces, coaches Mars' American accent, and plays Officer Keen — a collaboration nearly ten years in the making.
Kathryn Rohe is a costume designer whose work spans theatre, opera, and film. She designed over 18 productions for Transport Group, earning multiple Drama Desk nominations for Queen of the Mist, Hello Again, and Summer and Smoke, and has designed for Classic Stage Company, Dayton Opera, and theatre companies across the country. She is also an Associate Professor of Costume Design at Ball State University. For UFH, Rohe brings her deep commitment to authenticity to the film's costume design.
"Your project is a courageous, timely story exploring identity, belonging, and systemic bias. We're inspired to support this compelling project, amplifying important voices and sharing a narrative that resonates deeply with audiences worldwide."
THE FILM
Fiscally sponsored by
From The Heart Productions
Active for over 35 years, championing independent filmmakers whose films contribute to society. Over $30 million raised for films that inspire change. All donations are fully tax-deductible.
3-day shoot in the New York area including crew, meals, location permits, insurance, wardrobe, hair & makeup, props & production design...
Donate to this phase →Editing, color grading, sound design, music and festival submissions.
UFH arrives at a pivotal cultural moment. As immigration debates, racial profiling, and questions of belonging dominate public discourse, this film offers something rare — a story that exposes injustice through satire, with humor, humanity, and urgency.
This film is for all of us who have ever been seen as "other." Questioned for our skin color, our accent, our last name. Because unless you're Native American, are we not all immigrants? Sons and daughters of immigrants?
If this story resonates with you — if you believe in telling stories about identity, belonging, and what it truly means to be American — you can make a tax-deductible donation and help us bring it to the screen.
Plus in-kind contributions including equipment, from our team and early supporters.
All donations are fully tax-deductible through our fiscal sponsor From The Heart Productions.
Donate via PayPal / Venmo / Credit CardPrefer another method? Contact us for check or wire transfer.
Not in a position to donate cash? We also welcome in-kind contributions — locations, props, food & catering, equipment, and services. Every contribution counts.
Get in touch →THE SCENES
Follow along for behind-the-scenes updates,
cast announcements, and production news.
Instagram feed coming soon — we just launched! 🎬