John Lilly and Earth Coincidence Control Office
Community
Film/Movie
Pollock Theater
**Events may have been canceled or postponed. Please contact the venue to confirm the event.
Date & Time
Thu, May 21 7:00 PM - 9:30 PM
Address (map)
Pollock Theater University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA 93106-4010
Venue (website)
Pollock Theater
John Lilly and the Earth Coincidence Control Office (2025) uncovers the story of daring experimenter Dr. John C. Lilly, a scientist who dedicated his life to radical self-investigation and unlocking the mysteries of consciousness and communication.
Through extensive archival research—including historical footage, personal writings, interviews, and home movies—the film traces Lilly’s innovative career, from his groundbreaking neurobiological research of cetaceans (dolphins and whales) to the more speculative realms of mysticism and countercultural experimentation.
As his work intersected with broader social shifts during the Cold War and the drug-infused counterculture, Lilly pursued radical experiments in sensory deprivation and dolphin communication, while also using psychedelic substances such as LSD, ketamine, and psilocybin to chart new pathways to human and animal consciousness.
He garnered fame as both a serious researcher and a pop culture curiosity, inspiring films like The Day of the Dolphin and Altered States.
Directors Michael Almereyda and Courtney Stephens, along with narrator Chloë Sevigny, explore the pioneering and often controversial career of a man who dove into the psychonautical unknown.
Filmmaker Courtney Stephens will join moderator Joshua Baldelomar (Film and Media Studies, UCSB) for a discussion of John Lilly and the Earth Coincidence Control Office.
