ntact (1997), when astronomer Ell

ie Arroway (Jodie Foster) first hears the signals of other intelligent beings in the universe. "The VLA site is in the high desert with wide-open skies and flat terrain," said Steve Starkey, one of the film's producers. "You come across these dishes in the middle of the expanse and it's very surreal." Filmmakers had to contend with one of the state's most capricious features - the weather. "Yes, it was most unusu