Newly uncovered footage could shed light on one of the most famous alleged Bigfoot sightings in history, with a documentary presenting evidence that the iconic clip may have been staged. Capturing Bigfoot, directed by Marq Evans, examines the origins of the 1967 Patterson-Gimlin film, which appears to show a large, apelike creature walking through a forest in Northern California. An opening title in the documentary states that "no one has ever been able to determine whether the film is real or a hoax," before adding: "Until now." The film's website touts the documentary as "a story about family, legacy, broken friendships, and belief itself." According to Variety, the documentary investigates the people behind the iconic footage and the circumstances surrounding its creation.
The documentary's trailer offers a preview of the investigation. Newsweek contacted the Capturing Bigfoot documentary team via email on Monday for comment. The documentary's investigation centers on a reel of 16 mm film discovered in a safe by Teresa Brooks, whose father, Norm Johnson, worked in Boeing's film department and had connections to people involved in the original footage.
Evans stated on a podcast that Brooks contacted him in 2022 after finding the reel, which reportedly contained approximately 40 seconds of footage dating to 1966, a year before the famous Bigfoot film was recorded. The newly uncovered material appears to show a figure resembling Bigfoot walking through a wooded area, in a scene that bears similarities to the 1967 footage. The documentary presents it as a possible rehearsal for the later film.
The film also features interviews with people connected to the original sighting, including Roger Patterson's son, Clint Patterson, who discusses his father's role and the family's understanding of what happened. Clint has said he came to believe the footage was a hoax after his mother, Patricia Patterson, told him the truth about it. Bob Heironimus, who has previously claimed to have worn a Bigfoot costume for the original filming, is also among those featured in the documentary.
Variety claims that Heironimus has a "familiar loping walk," referring to the gait of the apelike creature captured in the 1967 footage. Together, the newly surfaced footage and accounts from people connected to Patterson have strengthened the argument that the famous sighting was staged. However, the existence and interpretation of the newly discovered footage do not, by themselves, conclusively settle the decades-old dispute over the original film.
When asked whether he thinks the documentary will convince people that Bigfoot is a product of folklore, mistaken animal sightings and hoaxes, Evans expresses doubt, as reported by People magazine: "I certainly wasn’t some skeptic who set out to prove [Bigfoot] wasn’t real," Evans said. "We were just focused on telling this story about the Patterson film. But I think for a lot of people who have so much history and belief tied up in this, it’s going to be really hard to accept." Capturing Bigfoot, which premiered at the SXSW (South by Southwest) film festival in March, explores not only the footage but also the personal relationships and family tensions surrounding the enduring mystery.
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