Saving Hubble
a new independent documentary directed by David Gaynes (68 minutes, English, USA, 2012) — 28 & 30 August 2012, 12:30-14:00 in Room 311A+B
Preview Screening presented by IAU and Beijing Science Video Website
Website/Trailer: savinghubble.com
“I loved the feeling of the film...brought tears to my eyes...shows the power of a great idea and a few people to move a nation and to accomplish something totally magnificent.”
– John Mather, Nobel Laureate in Physics, on “Saving Hubble”.
A love letter to the machine that stands as humanity’s ambassador to the expanding universe, Saving Hubble is also the story of ordinary people finding their voice in the grassroots movement that saved the Hubble Space Telescope from an untimely death. It examines NASA’s decision in 2004 to cancel the world’s most famous telescope, and introduces us to the people who united to save it. Many films have been made about what Hubble teaches humans about the universe. This is the first time a film about Hubble has asked “What does this machine say about us?” The film has been previewing for a variety of audiences around the USA, including an enthusiastic standing-room-only crowd of 450 professional scientists at the 219th American Astronomical Society Meeting, employees at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, and attendees of the National Space Symposium, the Northeast Astronomy Forum & Telescope Show (NEAF), SETIcon II, and ALCon 2012.
A traveling chautauqua or modern-day medicine show, The Hubble Roadshow is an expansive nonprofit outreach tour of locally unique events that feature Saving Hubble, sidewalk astronomy, scientists talking about what’s new in the worlds of astronomy and technology, opportunities for science learning and outreach, music, art, food, and most importantly, a conversation about human beings’ connection to the cosmos and society’s role in exploring this connection.
The Director, David Gaynes, is emerging as a unique voice in the world of independent documentary film. A layman in the field of astronomy, David was inspired to explore the public’s connection to space when he heard on the evening news that a necessary repair mission to the Hubble Space Telescope had been cancelled. David’s first feature, Keeper of the Kohn (2005), is a portrait of Peter Kohn, a beloved autistic field manager for the Middlebury College lacrosse team. It won the Jury Prize for best documentary at the Vail Film Festival. The forthcoming Next Year In Jerusalem tells the story of eight nursing home residents on a pilgrimage to Israel. David was the cinematographer for the award-winning documentary All Me: The Life and Times of Winfred Rembert (2011, directed by Vivian Ducat).
