Film Premiere: Journey of the Universe

“Journey of the Universe,” a documentary film that draws together scientific discoveries in astronomy, biodiversity, biology, ecology and geology with humanistic insights concerning the nature of the universe, will premiere at a conference on the same topic from March 24 to 27 in Kroon Hall. The film, produced by Mary Evelyn Tucker, a co-director of the Yale Forum on Religion and Ecology, is designed not only to show humanity’s wondrous connection to the cosmos but also to inspire people to form a new and closer relationship with our planet during a period of environmental and social crisis. The film is narrated by cosmologist Brian Swimme, who touches on the birth of the cosmos 14 billion years ago, the human genome and our current impact on Earth’s evolutionary dynamics in an effort to illuminate the profound role we play in the web of life. The film, shot in high definition, begins on the Greek island of Samos, birthplace of mathematician and philosopher Pythagoras. Disembarking on the island at dawn, Swimme guides viewers on a trek through time and space, sharing a view of cosmic evolution as a process based on immense creativity, connection and interdependence. After the toll of midnight, he sets sail into the star-lit waters of the North Aegean Sea to inspire us with a sense of wonder at the mystery, complexity and connectivity of the Earth and universe. Yale University Press will publish a book, co-written by Tucker and Swimme, on the same topic in the spring of 2011.

A trailer of the film can be viewed at www.journeyoftheuniverse.org. For more information, contact Mary Evelyn Tucker at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) or 203-432-2726.