Comic-Con Best Documentary Will Star at Orange Coast College Planetarium in October
Free for Orange Coast College Students and Open to the Public, the first-ever film about “The Father of Space Art” Returns to Orange County with Two Best Documentary Awards and Ready to Shine at OCC’s New Planetarium on October 5.
Costa Mesa, CA, September 12, 2019 --(PR.com)-- An Audience Award at the 2018 Newport Beach Film Festival in beautiful Orange County, California was a very exciting start for the first-ever film about space artist, architect and Hollywood matte painter, Chesley Bonestell. Since then, filmmaker Douglass M. Stewart Jr. and his movie Chesley Bonestell: A Brush with the Future have gone on to win two Best Documentary awards, including one at Comic-Con 2018 and a second at the 2019 Boston Science Fiction Film Festival. Now, with a special screening and Q&A on October 5 at 7:30pm, The Orange Coast College Planetarium in Costa Mesa, California will bring OC audiences the fascinating story and visionary images of “The Father of Space Art."
“Chesley Bonestell took us to the Moon, not with technology, but with a paint brush,” says the film’s Producer/Writer/Director Douglass M, Stewart, Jr. “Those who have seen Bonestell’s work are amazed at how accurate his depictions of planets and stars are, even though they were painted long before high-powered telescopes and space probes existed. The film is called ‘A Brush with the Future’ because of Chesley’s extraordinary vision. Now that we are going back to the moon, and then on to Mars, one can appreciate his ability to inspire and influence space exploration, even today.”
It’s a pleasant coincidence that Orange Coast College, which recently celebrated the grand opening of its architecturally stunning planetarium, should host a film about Chesley Bonestell, who started his career as an architect. Bonestell’s paintings did more than inspire America to reach for the stars. His architectural visions literally attained new heights on Earth when he helped design the tallest skyscraper in New York City in 1930 - the iconic Chrysler Building. A few years later in 1937, Chesley Bonestell turned boring blueprints into beautiful renderings that led to the building of the world’s longest bridge of its time: San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge. When he moved to Hollywood, his architectural background served him well in his new career as a visual effects matte painter. He created movie magic for classic films like The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Citizen Kane, Destination Moon and The War of the Worlds.
“The documentary is both remarkable and fascinating,” said a Southern California KPFK radio Film Club review. “In part, this is because Chesley Bonestell was a remarkable and fascinating man who inspired people to majestic achievements...His paintings are speculative in nature, fueled with imagination and romantic vision, yet they make you feel like you’re there, that you’d like to be there...and that you could be there.”
Chesley Bonestell: A Brush with the Future will have five screenings at Orange Coast College Planetarium, located at 2701 Fairview Road, Costa Mesa, CA. Only the October 5 screening at 7:30pm will feature a very special Q&A, hosted by filmmaker Doug Stewart and starring distinguished cast member, David A. Aguilar. Mr. Aguilar, a writer, astronomer and space artist appears regularly on The Science Channel. He is the author and illustrator of seven National Geographic books on astronomy, including the newly released “Luna – The Science and Stories of Our Moon.” Four additional non-Q&A screenings will take place on the following two Fridays, October 11 and 18 at 8:15PM and two Saturdays, October 12 and 19 at 7:30pm. To view the film’s trailer, please visit www.chesleybonestell.com. For tickets and additional information about these screenings, please visit the OCC Planetarium Calendar and Ticket Page at www.orangecoastcollege.edu/about_occ/planetarium/Pages/Bonestell.aspx
More about the Film: Chesley Bonestell: A Brush with the Future is featured in the September 2019 issue of Sky & Telescope Magazine. The film is also an “Official Selection” of the 2019 Newport Beach Film Festival at Sea, screening exclusively for Costco Club Members on their South Pacific Celebrity Cruise this December. For details, please visit newportbeachfilmfest.com/sea
“Chesley Bonestell took us to the Moon, not with technology, but with a paint brush,” says the film’s Producer/Writer/Director Douglass M, Stewart, Jr. “Those who have seen Bonestell’s work are amazed at how accurate his depictions of planets and stars are, even though they were painted long before high-powered telescopes and space probes existed. The film is called ‘A Brush with the Future’ because of Chesley’s extraordinary vision. Now that we are going back to the moon, and then on to Mars, one can appreciate his ability to inspire and influence space exploration, even today.”
It’s a pleasant coincidence that Orange Coast College, which recently celebrated the grand opening of its architecturally stunning planetarium, should host a film about Chesley Bonestell, who started his career as an architect. Bonestell’s paintings did more than inspire America to reach for the stars. His architectural visions literally attained new heights on Earth when he helped design the tallest skyscraper in New York City in 1930 - the iconic Chrysler Building. A few years later in 1937, Chesley Bonestell turned boring blueprints into beautiful renderings that led to the building of the world’s longest bridge of its time: San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge. When he moved to Hollywood, his architectural background served him well in his new career as a visual effects matte painter. He created movie magic for classic films like The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Citizen Kane, Destination Moon and The War of the Worlds.
“The documentary is both remarkable and fascinating,” said a Southern California KPFK radio Film Club review. “In part, this is because Chesley Bonestell was a remarkable and fascinating man who inspired people to majestic achievements...His paintings are speculative in nature, fueled with imagination and romantic vision, yet they make you feel like you’re there, that you’d like to be there...and that you could be there.”
Chesley Bonestell: A Brush with the Future will have five screenings at Orange Coast College Planetarium, located at 2701 Fairview Road, Costa Mesa, CA. Only the October 5 screening at 7:30pm will feature a very special Q&A, hosted by filmmaker Doug Stewart and starring distinguished cast member, David A. Aguilar. Mr. Aguilar, a writer, astronomer and space artist appears regularly on The Science Channel. He is the author and illustrator of seven National Geographic books on astronomy, including the newly released “Luna – The Science and Stories of Our Moon.” Four additional non-Q&A screenings will take place on the following two Fridays, October 11 and 18 at 8:15PM and two Saturdays, October 12 and 19 at 7:30pm. To view the film’s trailer, please visit www.chesleybonestell.com. For tickets and additional information about these screenings, please visit the OCC Planetarium Calendar and Ticket Page at www.orangecoastcollege.edu/about_occ/planetarium/Pages/Bonestell.aspx
More about the Film: Chesley Bonestell: A Brush with the Future is featured in the September 2019 issue of Sky & Telescope Magazine. The film is also an “Official Selection” of the 2019 Newport Beach Film Festival at Sea, screening exclusively for Costco Club Members on their South Pacific Celebrity Cruise this December. For details, please visit newportbeachfilmfest.com/sea
Contact
Chesley Bonestell: A Brush with the Future
Christopher Darryn
818-253-1030
www.chesleybonestell.com
Christopher Darryn
818-253-1030
www.chesleybonestell.com
Contact
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