Catch films about stories inspired by the vastness and unexplored corners of space, featuring a mix of animated classics, festival picks and artist works from this November to next February.
“Look again at that dot. That's here. That's home. That's us.”
Since the reveal of the photograph of Earth as a tiny speck in the universe, the many interpretations of Carl Sagan's moving rumination seem to reveal a unifying message - that we will be here for a long time.
ArtScience on Screen: Beyond Earth looks at the stories inspired by the vastness and unexplored corners of space; what is seemingly within our grasp yet unreachable, becoming a space for our collective anxieties and fantasies for those left on Earth. For most of us, we can only look up and dream.
Featuring a mix of animated classics, festival picks and artist works, the selected films are at times amusing, touching, and contemplative, with hints of magical realism driven by imaginative storytelling.
98 minutes | PG13 (Some Coarse Language)
Yuri, 16, has lived all his life in Gagarine Towers, a vast red brick housing project on the outskirts of Paris. From the heights of his apartment, he dreams of becoming an astronaut. But when plans to demolish his community's home are leaked, Yuri joins the resistance. With his friends Diana and Houssam, he embarks on a mission to save Gagarine, transforming the estate into his own "starship".
97 minutes | PG
From the Outer Rim to the desolate meteor craters of earth, visionary director Werner Herzog traverses down the reaches of The Mandalorian back behind the camera to explore how meteorites, shooting stars and deep impacts have awoken wonder about other realms.
Combining his infectious enthusiasm and curious eye with the vivacious, intelligent mind of scientist and documentarian Clive Oppenheimer, the duo uncover secrets from space, from mysterious comet sites to ‘smelling’ asteroids. It’s a fiendishly fun excursion not to be missed.
73 minutes | NC16 (Some Mature Content)
A cinematic ode to the moon, made in large part from archival sources combined with literary fragments and bound together by a haunting original score.
The film steps lightly through the ideas that people through the ages have drawn from the moon, dreams of escape, myths of heaven, songs of longing and loss, odes of yearning, taking the viewer on a constantly surprising night-walk through the night sky.
18 minutes | PG
Space exploration and the possibility of being a multi-planetary species is not science fiction anymore. The technological advancements and diplomatic endeavours in space touch us all. Journey with the voices of The Karman Project through four chapters of intimate interviews and short films as we explore the profound impact of space on the future of humanity.
85 minutes | PG
A cross-continental, cinematic journey, the film takes us from one of the truly extraordinary events of our civilization, space travel, and looks at how this gave us a totally different perspective on the Earth.
The film challenges viewers to reconsider our relationship with our home as well as the urgency to shift our mindset in the face of climate change, a humbling reminder that it’s time to shift our perspective.
In similar vein to the visionary visually stunning theme and visuals in the iconic Koyaanisqatsi and Samsara, Planetary is a resounding ode and cautionary tale to humanity’s impact on earth and potentially the galaxy.
98 minutes | G
What if mankind had to leave Earth and somebody forgot to turn the last robot off? After hundreds of years doing what he was built for, WALL•E discovers a new purpose in life when he meets a sleek search robot named EVE. EVE comes to realize that WALL•E has inadvertently stumbled upon the key to the planet's future, and races back to space to report to the humans.
Meanwhile, WALL•E chases EVE across the galaxy and sets into motion one of the most imaginative adventures ever brought to the big screen.
23 minutes | G
Wallace and Gromit enjoy a day out with a difference when a quest to find cheese prompts a visit to the moon. Despite a few hiccups with their homemade rocket, the duo makes a successful lunar landing, arriving just in time for lunch. But a strange, mechanical being isn’t too happy to see Wallace eating slices of moon cheese...
A Grand Day Out was the first film featuring Nick Park’s much loved characters, Wallace and Gromit, and nominated for an Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film in 1991.
75 minutes | PG
Featuring a star-studded cast of Stellan Skarsgård, Alexander Skarsgård and Peter Stormare as well as a blazing film score from the iconic Björk, Moomins And The Comet Chase sees the alarmed residents of Moominland chasing down a ferocious comet threatening to wipe out their beloved home.
116 minutes | PG13 (Brief Coarse Language)
Arrival is a provocative science fiction thriller from acclaimed director Denis Villeneuve (Sicario). When mysterious alien spacecraft touch down across the globe, Colonel Weber (Forest Whitaker) assembles an elite squad including expert linguist Louise Banks (Amy Adams) and physicist Ian Donnelly (Jeremy Renner) to investigate.
As mankind teeters on the verge of global war, Banks and the team race against time for answers and, in an unexpected twist, she will take a chance that could threaten not only her life, but quite possibly the survival of humanity.