Category Archives: Space films and videos

Activism, Space films and videos, Space Policy

Video: “Life on Mars: Bob Werb”

In February I posted a video interview with Mars One candidate Leila Zucker’. The interview was made by Melissa Balan and colleagues at Senior Post as the first in their series of “Life on Mars” interviews.

The video below shows an interview with long time space advocate Bob Werb, a co-founder of  The Space Frontier Foundation. The SFF is a non-profit organization that pushes for the development and settlement of space.

This is part two of an on-going exploration of mankind’s fascination with Mars. In upcoming episodes, we’ll continue to examine current initiatives to build human settlements on the red planet.

Solar Sci-Fi, Space Arts, Space films and videos

Some recent science/science-fiction film items

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Some miscellaneous science/science-fiction film related links:

* Keri Kukral, Monday, 3-9-15 – Thespaceshow’s Blog – An interview on The Space Show about Raw Science TV and the Raw Science Film Fest Award Winners -Raw Science

* Ground Into Sky: The Topology of Interstellar – The Avery Review – One of the winners of the Raw Science Film Fest awards was Caltech cosmologist Kip Thorne who help develop the story for the film Interstellar.  In this post architect Fred Scharmen writes about a recurring theme in the movie of the large rotating in-space habitat in which the ground rises up in the distance to become the sky overhead.

* Bryan Singer Tackling Sci-Fi Classic ‘The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress’ for Fox (Exclusive) – The Hollywood Reporter – One of the great classics of science fiction might finally be made into a movie.

* So, the new ‘Tomorrowland’ Trailer. It’s very… Bob Heinlein. – Moe Lane – From the latest trailer, it appears that Disney’s upcoming movie Tomorrowland has some bits with a classic science fiction look to them:

Solar Sci-Fi, Space films and videos

“Project Tool” – science fiction film in development

Last summer I wrote about Project TOOL “A cinematic role playing game in development”. The TOOL group now has a new crowd-funding campaign underway to support the making of a film based on the scenario and themes explored in the game:  Project Tool by WARP — Kickstarter

A revolutionary Science Fiction film that aims to explore the meaning of life and our role in the universe.

Project Tool is a movie that aims to explore the origins of life and our attempts at understanding why it exists. At its core, it’s a film that will stay true to the foundations and principles of Science Fiction as a genre. We’re a small but very ambitious independent studio – our goal is to make a film that perfectly embodies humanity’s never ending quest to search for answers to the questions that our vast universe poses. Project Tool will be a mix of CGI and live action set pieces, and we’ve set a reasonable budget that will enable us to complete this film.

We believe that raising funds through crowd-funding is the best way to fund our endeavor, because it allows us to have full creative freedom, and allows us to deliver a movie that is true to our supporters. We need your help to make Project Tool, so please contribute to our fund raising campaign and share our project.

History, Space films and videos

Kickstarter opens for documentary about Burt Rutan

Help get the documentary Looking Up, Way Up: The Burt Rutan Story off the ground:

Documentary Film About Aerospace Legend Burt Rutan
Launches a Kickstarter Campaign To Raise Funds

February 25, 2015— antennaFILMS, the Producing/Directing team behind the award-winning television documentary Black Sky about X-Prize winning SpaceShipOne, has signed on to produce a documentary that follows Aerospace Legend Burt Rutan that will highlight the maverick designer’s vast accomplishments, the legacy he created in the field of aviation and his newest “secret garage” venture.

Burt Rutan, the champion of homebuilts, the designer of Voyager, SpaceShipOne, and 43 other aircraft that have flown, is building a new plane. Co-Director Scott B says “I can’t reveal much about the plane, but it will be a game changer. It’ll do things no plane has ever done before.”

5 SCOTT B & BURT RUTAN 0578 bl

What more would you expect from the man who designed the VariEze, put a man in space, and built a plane that circumnavigated the globe without refueling?

antennaFILMS is reaching out to Burt’s fans and the entire aviation community to help fund the film as they have the opportunity to capture an amazing moment in history witnessing the building and testing of what could be Burt Rutan’s final plane.

The filmmakers set their Kickstarter goal at $80,000 for this stage of the production and are excited to share this project with the aviation community.

“Because he’s building his new plane so quickly we need to make this project happen now,” said Sandy Guthrie, Co-Director and partner in antennaFILMS.

Scott B and Sandy Guthrie, co-directors on the project and partners at antennaFILMS, have filmed Rutan for over a decade now, winning a Peabody Award for Excellence and a Cine Golden Eagle Award for their Discovery Channel documentary “Black Sky: The Race For Space” that documented Rutan and his team winning the $10 million Ansari X-Prize.

“Making a film of a caliber that does justice to Burt’s successes and contributions takes a lot, so ideally we’re hoping to surpass our $80,000 goal.” said Sandy Guthrie. “Kickstarter gives us the ability to reach out on a grass-roots level and to have Burt’s fans participate in the making of this film from the beginning.”

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Scott describes Burt Rutan as one of the greatest innovators of our time who helped revolutionize the aviation and aerospace industry, and whose accomplishments and story will inspire young engineers and airplane enthusiasts for years to come. Rutan has a record number (5) of aircraft on permanent display in the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum.

“Even $5 pledges will help,” said Scott. “We’ve been to Oshkosh with Burt, we’ve covered SpaceShip events in Mojave since 2004 and we know we will be able to give Burt’s vast fan base a thorough and thoughtful look into his life and accomplishments.

And we have some amazing rewards for those interested in pledging!”

If you are interested in contributing please find their Kickstarter fundraising page at: www.kickstarter.com/projects/antennafilms/…

To learn more about the antennaFILMS you can find them online at: www.antennafilms.com

Events, Solar Sci-Fi, Space films and videos

Winning films in the Philip K. Dick Science Fiction Film Festival

I posted here about the Philip K. Dick Science Fiction Film Festival, which took place last weekend. Here is a report on the winning films:

PKDmarquee

The Philip K. Dick Science Fiction Film Festival returned to New York City for its third annual event from January 15-18, 2015 and has culminated in yet another successful season. With events at three distinguished locations including The Cervantes Institute, Tribeca Cinemas and The Producer’s Club, the festival has announced of award winners in recognition for achievement in filmmaking.

The honorable list includes Mark Netter’s Nightmare Code (2014) for Best Philip K. Dick Feature, Matt Duggan’s Inverse (2014) for Best Science Fiction Feature, Kathleen Behun’s 21 Days (2014) for Best Supernatural Feature, MacGregor and Bruno Zacarías’ Similo (2014) for Best Latino, African American and Other People of Color Short and Matt Owen’s Turn On (2013) for Best Science Fiction Short.

The festival, which recently received massive attention from NBC New York/COZI TV’s News 4 New York at 7, The New York Times, The New York Daily News, Time Out New York and Metro New York continues to which celebrates the cinematic style inspired by Philip K. Dick is grateful for any support as the team continues to offer the very best in science fiction film, culture and excitement.

Here’s the trailer for Nightmare Code, which won the Best Philip K. Dick Feature award:

http://youtu.be/JuhRa38iHJI

And here is the trailer for Inverse, which won the Best Science Fiction Feature award:

 

Update: Here is an announcement with the full list of award winners:

(New York City, N.Y.) January 18, 2015 – The Philip K. Dick Science Fiction Film Festival ascended into glory in its third year honoring the literary world’s most nuanced and visionary author, Philip K. Dick. As the city’s hottest ticket from January 15-18, 2015, the festival screened at three locations including The Cervantes Institute, Tribeca Cinemas and The Producer’s Club and culminated in award recognition for achievement in filmmaking by the creative individuals who are leaders in the most daring cornerstone of the movie industry. With its largest yet slate of innovative features and shorts, the sold out event brought festival-goers on an unforgettable ride to the best science fiction cinema has to offer.

The festival itself has received high-profile praise in recent days including founder and programming director Daniel Abella’s guest appearance on NBC New York/COZI TV’s News 4 New York at 7 as he was interviewed by anchor Roseanne Colletti. The televised segment preceded flattering editorial pieces in The New York Times, The New York Daily News, Time Out New York and Metro New York, all of which called fans to the festival’s mission in bringing forth the best in science fiction and beyond in the footsteps of its namesake. With energy at an all-time high and vigorously growing by the minute a sentiment by Abella in his television appearance remains wholeheartedly true — that this festival “will leave you smiling.”

List of Award Winners:

  • BEST PHILIP K. DICK FEATURE
    • Mark Netter’s Nightmare Code (2014)
  • BEST SCIENCE FICTION DRAMATIC FEATURE
    • Matt Duggan’s Inverse (2014)
  • BEST SUPERNATURAL FEATURE
    • Kathleen Behun’s 21 Days (2014)
  • BEST FEATURE DOCUMENTARY / SINGULARITY AND BEYOND
    • Christopher Garetano’s Montauk Chronicles (2014)
  • BEST DOCUMENTARY
    • Jacob Akira Okada’s Painting The Way To The Moon (2013)
  • BEST PHILIP K. DICK SHORT – AUDIENCE AWARD
    • Etienne Gravrand’s The Fischer Case (2014)
  • BEST LATINO, AFRICAN AMERICAN AND OTHER PEOPLE OF COLOR SHORT
    • MacGregor and Bruno Zacarías’ Similo (2014)
  • BEST SCIENCE FICTION SHORT
    • Mat Owen’s Turn On (2013)
  • BEST HORROR / SUPERNATURAL SHORT
    • Andy Green’s Vomica (2014)
  • BEST WEB SERIES
    • Aldo Romero’s The Disappeared (2014)
  • BEST TRAILER
    • Eric Norcross’s The Spaceship (2014)