Planet Earth was the star of the Sarasota Film Festival’s closing night film, Rory Kennedy’s Above and Beyond: NASA’s Journey to Tomorrow, just in time for Earth Day. Following up on an aspirational speech given by her uncle, President John F. Kennedy, about going to the moon at Rice University, Kennedy’s documentary tells the history of NASA from the ‘60’s to the present, how space, the planets, and the universe, have been explored and what scientists have learned about the Earth. David Bowie may sing his query, Is there life on Mars? And the answer is still looking for signs. For sure, the Earth is vulnerable. Global warming is irrefutable. Following the screening, a panel featuring Kennedy, Mark Bailey, her husband and the film’s producer, and scientist Dr. Ellen Stofan answered questions about the possibilities of life beyond our planet, and the excitement of continued exploration. What about space tourism?
That afternoon, Guttenberg, Madsen, and Kennedy were interviewed at length about their distinguished careers making movies. Madsen spoke about performing the character of Mia in Sideways, how she found Mia’s inner resilience. The part earned her an Academy Award nomination. Guttenberg spoke about the career advice he received from Hume Cronyn and Jessica Tandy: Save your money. He’d been blessed to get the Police Academy franchise, which, as he put it, allowed him to buy his fiancé a coke. Many attendees travelled hundreds of miles just to meet their favorite actor from Diner, Cocoon, Short Circuit, to name just a few of his films. Surprising everyone, Steve Guttenberg asked the festival to save his statue for when he achieves his acting goals. Known for his comedic work, Guttenberg was not joking.
Graphic Design: Salpeter Ventura
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