The Eagle Obsession was selected to be shown at the 2025 Sydney Science Fiction Film Festival, with screenings scheduled for Friday, October 3 at 7:30 p.m and Saturday, October 4 at 10:30 a.m.

Get tickets here: THE EAGLE OBSESSION + The Art Of Looking

In the meantime, check out Part 9 of The Sydney Science Fiction Film Festival In Conversation Series, where Festival Director Simon Foster asks six key questions to the directors whose films highlight the 2025 program.

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SSFFF: What have been the science-fiction works – books, films, art of any kind – that have inspired your work and forged your love for the genre?

JEFFERY: I would say from a film standpoint, 2001: A Space Odyssey, Star Trek: The Motion Picture, and Blade Runner have been deeply inspirational for me. I’ve read a ton of Arthur C. Clarke, Larry Niven, Ben Bova, and Stephen Baxter throughout my life. I prefer hard science fiction. The art of Robert McCall, Ralph McQuarrie, and Syd Mead have also been deep inspirations for my life and career.

SSFFF: How did the original concept for your film take shape? What aspects of your film’s narrative and your protagonist’s journey were most important to you?

JEFFERY: Christmas 1976 was the most unforgettable of my life. I was nine years old when my parents gave me a giant toy replica of the Eagle Transporter from my favorite show, Space: 1999. At the time, I was a precocious kid who planned to become an astronaut, and the Eagle felt like something I might actually fly someday. Its design clearly echoed NASA’s Lunar Module—my favorite real-life spacecraft—and embodied the sleek, functional elegance of the space age.

As I grew up, I came to realize that the future portrayed in Space: 1999 likely wouldn’t come to pass. Still, I never stopped dreaming of a tomorrow shaped by critical thinking, advanced technology, and harmony between human achievement and Earth’s well-being.

I was raised by an aerospace engineer father and a librarian mother, and my childhood was filled with books, blueprints, and models. My friends and I played Space: 1999 in the backyard with our Eagle toys. Those moments shaped our imaginations—and for many of us, our careers. I’ve spent my life creating stories about the future I wanted to live in. Looking back, I realize that it all started with that toy Eagle. That realization became the seed of The Eagle Obsession.

In making this film, I traveled the world to connect with actors, astronauts, scientists, and fans whose lives were touched by the same dreams. I witnessed incredibly moving moments—such as when Space: 1999 star Barbara Bain met my childhood friend, now a neuroscientist, who was inspired by Bain’s character as a child. I also introduced the Eagle to a new generation of young students, who immediately started imagining how to build their own. This film is personal. It’s about nostalgia and the power of hope. But more than that, it’s a call to remember the future we once believed in—and to consider that it might not be too late to build it.

SSFFF: Does the ‘science-fiction’ genre have deep roots in the art and cultural history of your homeland?

JEFFERY: Absolutely. George Lucas, Gene Roddenberry and so many others were sci-fi visionaries. The genre has truly been a driver of American culture and an inspiration for industry, commerce, and innovation.

SSFFF: Were the resources, facilities and talent pool required to bring your film to life easily sourced?

JEFFERY: It was a huge challenge to connect with and schedule the actors and talent seen in the film. Perhaps it was the greatest challenge. We are so happy that everyone agreed to participate.

SSFFF: Describe for us the very best day you had in the life cycle of your film…

JEFFERY: It was an enormous relief to get it through post production. It took over six months with an extremely small team. My editor and I spent over 3000 collective hours sifting through and selecting footage. I also spent inordinate time on the film’s soundtrack.

SSFFF: Having guided your film from idea to completion, what lessons and advice would you offer a young science-fiction filmmaker about to embark on a similar journey?

JEFFERY: Stay the course. Stick to your vision. No matter what. You can always find a way. It may be difficult, but the path will clear for you if you are diligent and consistent.