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NCSA-enabled IMAX movie “A Beautiful Planet” premiering locally


The National Center of Supercomputing Applications (NCSA) at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is bringing the Hollywood red carpet experience to Champaign County! The Advanced Visualization Laboratory (AVL) at NCSA recently worked on “A Beautiful Planet,” the latest 3D space documentary from acclaimed filmmaker Toni Myers and IMAX Entertainment, made in cooperation with NASA. NCSA will host a red carpet event at the Goodrich Savoy 16 IMAX Theater on Sunday, May 1, 2016 at 11:00 a.m.

Members of the AVL team will introduce the film and discuss their role in its production. Guests will also have the chance to walk the red carpet and photography staging area. Guests who mention “A Beautiful Planet” at the concessions stand can receive a mini popcorn and soda for just $5.00.

“A Beautiful Planet” features two scenes—the movie’s opening and closing sequences—that were produced by the AVL team. AVL Director Donna Cox served as visualization producer and designer on the NCSA scenes of the film. AVL previously worked with Myers and the IMAX team to create scientific visualizations for the award-winning IMAX® documentary, “Hubble 3D,” from Warner Bros. Pictures and IMAX Entertainment (2010). Additionally, the film features stunning footage of our magnificent blue planet—and the effects humanity has had on it over time—captured by the astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS).

In addition to the red carpet event, the film will show daily at at 11:30 a.m. from Friday, April 29 to Thursday, May 5. Tickets are on sale at now at http://www.goodrichqualitytheaters.com/illinois/savoy16imax/.

For more information on NCSA’s involvement with “A Beautiful Planet,” please visit the NCSA website.

AVL has a long history of producing cinematic scientific visualizations for full-dome planetarium shows, television documentaries, feature film and IMAX documentary films. The AVL team that worked on the film includes: Robert Patterson (visualization designer/camera), Stuart Levy (visualization/astronomy), AJ Christensen (visualization design/effects), and Kalina Borkiewicz (visualization development).

“A Beautiful Planet” is a 46-minute film documentary that gives moviegoers a never-before-seen glimpse of Earth from space and provides an increased understanding of our planet and galaxy. In cooperation with NASA, the movie captures footage filmed by the astronauts aboard the International Space Station.

AVL team produced 6 minutes and 20 seconds of visualization, including two dramatic astrophysical voyages: the opening journey into the Milky Way galaxy to the location of our Sun and the closing scene, a flight from the International Space Station to the Earth-like exoplanet K-186f, nearly 500 light years away from Earth.

“A Beautiful Planet” has been rated G.

You can learn more about “A Beautiful Planet” by visiting its official site at www.imax.com/ABP.

The Goodrich Savoy 16 is located at 232 W. Burwash in Savoy, Illinois (61874). For information on tickets and showtimes, please call 217-355-9718 or 217-355-3456 or visit the website at http://www.goodrichqualitytheaters.com/illinois/savoy16imax/.

IMAX®, IMAX® 3D, IMAX DMR®, Experience It In IMAX®, An IMAX 3D Experience® and The IMAX Experience® are trademarks of IMAX Corporation. More information about the company can be found at www.imax.com. You may also connect with IMAX on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.

Contact:
Kristin Williamson
NCSA
Assistant Director, Public Affairs
publicaffairs@ncsa.illinois.edu
217-300-2933

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