Journey of the Universe Film to Premiere March 25

Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies

March 2011
http://environment.yale.edu/news/6019

A documentary film that explores the connections between humanity, Earth and the cosmos, "Journey of the Universe," will premiere on Friday, March 25, at the Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies.

The film will be shown simultaneously in Kroon Hall and Sage Hall at 7 p.m., and a panel discussion will follow in Kroon Hall at 8 p.m. The panel will feature Stephen Kellert [profile], Tweedy Ordway Professor of Social Ecology at F&ES; Kathleen Dean Moore, a philosopher and editor of Moral Ground: Ethical Actions for a Planet in Peril; and Jonathan Schell, the Doris Shaffer Fellow at The Nation Institute who teaches a course at Yale on nuclear issues.

It will also be shown on Saturday, March 26, at 1 p.m. in the Peabody Museum of Natural History and at 5:30 p.m. in Kroon Hall. To attend a showing, contact Tara Trapani, tcmkfore@sbcglobal.net.

"Journey of the Universe," narrated by evolutionary philosopher Brian Swimme, weaves a compelling story of the unfolding universe and humanity's evolving place in it. Filmed on the Greek island of Samos, it combines scientific discoveries in astronomy, geology, biology and ecology, with humanistic insights concerning the nature of the cosmos.

"One of the aims of this project is to use the art of storytelling to capture the grandeur and drama of this epic of the universe—from the Big Bang to where we are today, in a moment of great transition," said Mary Evelyn Tucker [profile], the executive producer of the film.

Tucker is co-director of the Yale Forum on Religion and Ecology with her husband, John Grim [profile], and they teach in the joint master's program in religion and ecology at the School of Forestry & Environmental Studies and Yale Divinity School.

The idea for the film came about 25 years ago in discussions among Tucker, Grim, Swimme and Thomas Berry, the late historian of world religions and leading environmental thinker.

"Berry had a vision of the need for an integrating narrative of the development of the universe, Earth and humans," Tucker said.

Swimme said, "He was one of the first to suggest we need a new story that would show people their profound connection to the Earth community."

"Journey of the Universe" will be broadcast later in the year on PBS-affiliate KQED in San Francisco, the United States' sixth-largest television market. A book on the same topic, co-written by Swimme and Tucker, will be published by Yale University Press in the spring.

For more information on the project and to view a trailer of the film, visit www.journeyoftheuniverse.org.

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