"The Faraway Nearby" Documentary Film Screening on Joseph Weber

LIGO Hanford Observatory proudly presents a screening of the documentary "The Faraway Nearby".

This film was directed by Paula Froehle, produced by Steve Cohen and Hussain Currimbhoy, and co-created with Alan Lightman.

This special screening will be preceded by an introduction from Lightman and will be followed by a unique Q&A session with Froehle and LIGO Hanford Observatory head Michael Landry.

Synopsis:

At the intersection of art and science, The Faraway Nearby illustrates Joe Weber’s struggle to be the first to ‘hear’ gravitational waves in space, a passion that consumed him until his death. It is a story of self sacrifice and the pioneering spirit, featuring interviews with Nobel Laureates Kip Thorne and Rai Weiss, astrophysicists Nergis Mavalvala and Rana Adhikari, psychologist Steven Pinker, and many others. Weber was a brilliant but misunderstood thinker who took astronomy to new heights through determination and creativity. Featuring artists Silas Riener and Lia Halloran, the film explores the relationship between diligent creative practice and the resilience necessary for scientific discovery, and how both help us understand our place in the universe.

Joe’s battle led to ostracization from the scientific community he desperately wanted approval from, yet his laid the groundwork for the creation of LIGO, the gravity wave detector honored with the Nobel Prize in 2017.

Directed by Paula Froehle, acclaimed director, educator and co-founder of the Chicago Media Project,The Faraway Nearby is an unexpected cinematic journey into the power of obsession and the human need to explore beyond our perceptions. Co-written with acclaimed physicist/novelist Alan Lightman, produced by Steve Cohen, executive producer of Oscar-winning Icarus, Allen v Farrow, and Apollo, producer Hussain Currimbhoy, who has over two decades in the film industry, including work as lead programmer at Sundance Film Festival and Sheffield Doc/Fest, and directing science-themed documentaries for the Breakthrough Prize. Creative Producer David Teague, Editor Sam Rong, (HotDocs premiere Faceless) also a Chicago native, is lead editor and Resolution Digital Studios brings the creative partnership a cutting edge energy, allowing gaming technology and virtual production techniques to be realized.

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