Each lead that James finds takes him deeper and deeper into the madness.

All of the intrusions coincide with the disappearances of women around the Chicago area. The person wearing the Max Headroom mask has been replaced by women wearing a featureless silicone mask with a black wig. Written by Phil Drinkwater and Tim Woodall, Broadcast Signal Intrusion is a tech noire. The act video also contained modified audio and a backing set designed to invoke the same design of the Max Headroom show. The intrusions themselves appear to be based on a famous real-life incident that occurred in Chicago in the late 80’s known as the “ Max Headroom Incident.” On the evening of November 22, 1987, when a video of an individual wearing a character mask of the Max Headroom television character interrupted the programming of two stations in Chicago, Illinois. When James stumbles upon some eerie broadcasts in the videos he’s archiving, he becomes obsessed with trying to find the source of the video and those responsible for it. The two communicate through post-it notes.

Grief-stricken by the disappearance of his wife, James belongs to a bereavement group, but avoids any intimacy with the other members. Set in Chicago in 1999, the movie follows James ( Harry Shum, Jr.), a video archivist living an incredibly solitary life. It is exactly this strange event that concerns Jacob Gentry’s new film, Broadcast Sígnal Intrusion. The term “ broadcast signal intrusion” refers to, “the hijacking of broadcast signals of radio, television stations, cable television broadcast feeds or satellite signals without permission nor license.” This practice, also known as “Pirate Broadcasting,” has had many notable incidents throughout history.

Max headroom intrusion