Academy Award-winning filmmaker Ron Howard, whose Apollo 13 remains one of the most popular and highly-regarded dramatizations of man's exploration of space, is partnering with THINKFilm to present the award-winning film, In the Shadow of the Moon, the definitive feature documentary about the Apollo space program and the first-ever landing on the moon. Howard's name, and the "Ron Howard Presents" credit will appear on all prints and in all paid advertising for the film, and Howard will participate in promotion of both the theatrical release and the DVD. THINKFilm will open In the Shadow of the Moon in exclusive engagements in New York and Los Angeles on September 7, 2007, with an aggressive national expansion planned throughout the month.
A rousing celebration of human endeavor, In the Shadow of the Moon begins in the early 1960's, with President Kennedy's stated ambition to put an American on the moon before the end of the decade, and culminates in Apollo 11's successful lunar landing and the extraordinary global impact that event had. Ten of the surviving astronauts who journeyed to the moon tell their stories in their own words, accompanied by spectacular NASA footage, much of it never seen before in a feature film, and all of it re-mastered for maximum visual and aural effect.
About the film, Howard says, "In the Shadow of the Moon is a spectacular film that should be seen by the widest audience possible. It is especially timely now, when we are all reminded how fragile our Earth is and how much there is for us to explore in the universe. I am thrilled to be able to support it in this way and to remind Americans in these dark times about what a truly incredible accomplishment going to the moon was."
David Sington, who directed In the Shadow of the Moon adds, "As a director, I am incredibly flattered that such a distinguished filmmaker as Ron Howard is willing to lend his name to our film in this way."
Howard saw the film shortly before its acclaimed world premiere at Sundance 2007, where it won the Audience Award for Documentary (World Cinema) and soon thereafter began discussions about how he could help the film reach the widest possible audience. Since Sundance, the film has gone on to win another half-dozen audience or jury awards at North American film festivals and will qualify for the Academy Awards as part of the International Documentary Association's DocuWeek Showcase in August. THINKFilm has had four Oscar nominations for Best Documentary feature in the past five years for Spellbound, The Story Of The Weeping Camel, Murderball and Born Into Brothels, and won the statuette in 2005 for the latter.
In the Shadow of the Moon, a THINKFilm release in association with Discovery Films, features interviews with astronauts Jim Lovell (Apollo 8 and 13), Dave Scott (Apollo 9 and 15), John Young (Apollo 10 and 16), Gene Cernan (Apollo 10 and 17), Mike Collins (Apollo 11), Buzz Aldrin (Apollo 11), Alan Bean (Apollo 12), Edgar Mitchell (Apollo 14), Charlie Duke (Apollo 16) and Harrison Schmitt (Apollo 17). The film is directed by David Sington, produced by Duncan Copp, co-produced by Chris Riley, executive produced by Simon Andreae, John Battsek and Julie Goldman, with original music by Philip Sheppard, cinematography by Clive North, and editing by David Fairhead. Following its theatrical engagement, In the Shadow of the Moon will have its television premiere on Discovery Channel and Discovery HD Theater.
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