Close Encounters of The Third Kind

CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND. 1977 American science fiction film written and directed by Steven Spielberg and starring Richard Dreyfuss. It tells the story of Roy Neary, an everyday blue collar worker in Indiana whose life changes after an encounter with a UFO. The film was a long-cherished project for Spielberg. In late 1973, he developed a deal with Columbia Pictures for a science fiction film. Though Spielberg received sole credit for the script, he was assisted by Paul Schrader & many others, all of whom contributed to the screenplay in varying degrees. Made on a production budget of $20 million, Close Encounters was released in a limited number of cities on November 16th 1977 and November 23rd 1977 before expanding into wider release the following month. It was a critical and financial success, eventually grossing over $337 million worldwide. The film received numerous awards and nominations at the 50th Academy Awards / 32nd British Academy Awards / the 35th Golden Globe Awards and has been widely acclaimed by the American Film Institute. In December 2007, it was deemed "culturally, historically or aesthetically significant" by the United States Library of Congress and selected for preservation in the National Film Registry.