Summer 2019 Screenings of Chesley Bonestell Documentary

In an earlier post, I called attention to the first-ever documentary about Chesley Bonestell, a name surely familiar to many in the AAS community. Often called the father of space art, Bonestell (1888-1986) worked as an architect on the Chrysler Building and Golden Gate Bridge and later as a special-effects artist on early Hollywood blockbusters, including Citizen Kane and War of the Worlds. Beginning in the 1940s, his futuristic paintings depicting space travel and the worlds of our solar system regularly appeared in magazines such as Sky & Telescope, LIFE, and Collier’s.

Because the new documentary, Chesley Bonestell: A Brush with the Future, is not yet in general release, I suspect many astronomers and other space enthusiasts were disappointed to see the rather limited list of upcoming screenings. Well, that list has expanded considerably. Here's the current schedule:

• 7 June, Cleveland, OH: Cleveland Cinematheque
• 8 June, Arlington, VA: International Space Development Conference
• 18 June, Pasadena, CA: Jet Propulsion Laboratory
• 15-16 July, Encino, CA: Townhouse 5 Theater
• 15-16 July, Claremont, CA: Claremont 5 Theater
• 15-16 July, West Los Angeles, CA: Royal Theater
• 15-16 July, Pasadena, CA: Playhouse 7 Theater
• 18 July, Denver, CO: Wings Over the Rockies Museum
• 26 July, Little Rock, AR: Ron Robinson Theater/Central Arkansas Astronomical Society
• 25 August, Seattle, WA: Museum of Flight

Watch the Trailer

Many screenings will be followed by discussions with the filmmakers and special guests. For more information and to order tickets, follow the links above.