Sci-Fi Indie Feature ‘Lumina’ Now Available to Stream

“Lumina,” which has garnered a cult following internationally and is now available for streaming and purchase on Amazon Prime, YouTube, and Google Play, is bringing its blend of alien lore, government conspiracies, and dark humor to audiences worldwide.

Directed by Gino McKoy in his feature film debut, “Lumina” follows Alex (Rupert Lazarus, "Requiem") as he searches for his missing girlfriend, Tatiana (Eleanor Williams), who vanishes in a mysterious flash of light. His desperate quest takes him and his friends deep into the desert, where they stumble upon a Deep Underground Military Base (DUMB) hiding dark secrets. 

The film, from Goldove Entertainment, features Academy Award nominee Eric Roberts ("The Dark Knight") as Thom, a cryptic Area 51 expert. Also starring are Andrea Tivadar ("Warrior Nun"), Sidney Nicole Rogers ("V/H/S" miniseries), Emily Hall ("Loot"), and Ken Lawson ("In the Cut").

“When a movie is good, it takes you someplace — and Gino is going to take us someplace, too,” Roberts said. “This young man, Gino — yeah, he's special.”

Despite quickly building a cult following after its theatrical debut last year with an exceptional marketing campaign of 120 million-plus views, drawing praise for its genre-blending storytelling, suspenseful twists, cinematic experience and exceptional soundtrack and the film’s journey to the big screen was nearly cut short with 102 screens — far less than the contracted 1,000 plus screens.

In 2019, Goldove secured a distribution deal for Lumina with major studios, but after 18 months of negotiations, the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic led to its cancellation. Undeterred, Gino chose Morocco as the filming location due to the country’s tax incentives and logistical benefits. Financing was secured by Goldove Entertainment, with support from Canadian entrepreneur David Seychell, and arranged by Lynda McKoy, CEO of Goldove.

“Lumina” became the first sci-fi film shot entirely in Morocco, with the largest interior sets ever built in Africa. Gino spent months designing intricate sets, custom-built props, and animatronic alien heads, while assembling a cast from the U.S. and the U.K.

The production went on to face many challenges, including producer David Seychell surviving a plane crash in the Colorado Mountains.

But the team persevered, employing more than 400 local workers while navigating pandemic-related disruptions, and as a result, “Lumina” became the first major film shot in Morocco during the pandemic. Defying all odds and overcoming the gauntlet of bad luck, a movie within a movie, a story so out of this world, that some fans asking for a spin-off based on the controversial events.

It was nothing short of a miracle when the movie was completed and theatrically distributed in North America.