Illinois Public Media is joining forces with the University of Illinois’ Spurlock Museum to present a free screening of Stephen Hawking’s Favorite Places, in a couple of weeks.
Check out what Illinois Public Media has to say about it below:
Join Illinois Public Media at the Spurlock Museum for an exclusive screening of Stephen Hawking’s Favorite Places. Premiering in the Knight Auditorium at 7 pm Thursday, February 16, the film follows renowned astrophysicist Stephen Hawking—one of the most brilliant minds our time—as we travel on this extraordinary journey across the cosmos, sharing his own story of inspiration, curiosity, perseverance, and ambition along the way.
“Illinois Public Media was proud to work with Curiosity Stream, Bigger Bang, and the National Center for Supercomputing Applications (NCSA) at Illinois on this exciting project. And, now that it’s complete, we’re eager to give our Friends a chance to travel on this journey with us,” said Moss Bresnahan, CEO and president of Illinois Public Media.
Directed by Ben Bowie of Bigger Bang, Stephen Hawking’s Favorite Places takes us on a 25-minute cosmic ride of a lifetime.
“My goal is simple: complete understanding of the universe,” said Hawking. “It’s always been a dream of mine to explore the universe. So, what if I could? Imagine I could go anywhere and see anything.” Thanks to the magic of CGI and the advancements of scientific visualization, Commander Stephen Hawking pilots the SS Hawking—a spaceship he designed himself—to The Big Bang, Milky Way’s central black hole, Gliese 832 c, Saturn, and back to Earth: all with us in the passenger seat.
Illinois Public Media’s role in this program is part of our new production initiative, National and International Productions, headed by John Lindsay.
“We want to share the outstanding research taking place here at the University of Illinois with the world. But, we also want to expose viewers in our region and across the country to the best and brightest productions being produced from around the world,” explained Lindsay. “We want to bring Illinois to the world and the world to Illinois.”
Stephen Hawking’s Favorite Places was created as an offering for the online video-on-demand channel, Curiosity Stream—a global ad-free subscription service offering nonfiction documentaries and series about science, technology, history, and nature. This free, exclusive screening of Stephen Hawking’s Favorite Places is one of the first public theatrical screenings of the program anywhere in the United States.
National and International Productions at Illinois Public Media also worked with Kartemquin Films and Helios Digital Learning to produce All The Queen’s Horses, a documentary about one of the largest municipal frauds in American history that took place in Dixon, Illinois. Lindsay and his team also have several national productions in development, including these projects featuring research from the University of Illinois:
SWARMED: Insects That Changed The World—A three-hour science and history series on how insects have shaped human existence by altering wars, transforming economies, and massacring millions of human beings. Features May Berenbaum, professor and head of the Department of Entomology, and her research team.
The Planet Human—A two-hour, animation-driven science special that showcases a world of creatures that live in and on our bodies: the creatures you’ve never seen but know intimately. Features Hannah Holscher, director of the Nutrition and the Human Microbiome Laboratory in the Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition.
The New Evolution—An unprecedented three-part exploration into deep science and deep geological time, tracing life on Earth back to the moment of origin. Features Nigel Goldenfield and his Biocomplexity Group at the Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology at Illinois.
CROPS—A feature-length documentary—a sober investigation that goes beyond the controversy into the two possible futures for GMOs and our global food supply. Features Stephen Long, professor in the Department of Crop Science, and his research team.