The all new feature documentary ZERO GRAVITY takes viewers on an inspirational journey following a diverse group of middle school students who compete in a nationwide tournament to code satellites aboard the International Space Station.
The film will get its East Coast premiere at Annapolis Film festival 2021, which will take place virtually from April 8th through April 18th. Zero Gravity is available from April 15 through the 18th to stream.
Seen through the wondrous eyes of three young students and their first-time coach, they each take an intimate and personal journey to space as their team grows from amateur coders to representing California in the ISS Finals Tournament -- the culmination of a summer-long adventure that sees their incredible accomplishment performed by astronauts in orbit. This exciting and powerful film aims to inspire adults and children alike through the achievements of the children and as a symbol of excitement around space exploration, education and teamwork.
The competition - Zero Robotics - is run by the MIT Space Systems Laboratory in collaboration with NASA and CASIS, and their goal is to utilize the International Space Station for student experiments in zero gravity in support of real-world problems facing space scientists today. The competition is entered by students across the globe. The gifted San Jose children programmed satellites known as SPHERES, which were inspired by Star Wars and retired in 2019 after ten years of space research. However, their journey is about so much more than coding. It’s about the power of teamwork and the future of the human race as a spacefaring civilization.
The film follows the incredible journey of local students from start to finish, with special bonus ZOOM footage to revisit the students in light of the changes of their lives and education due to the global pandemic.
Ever since I was a kid, I’ve been fascinated with space and our place in the cosmos, but I never imagined I would ever be able to get there. These students not only took me with them on their journey to the stars, they left me with a renewed sense of hope for the future. In Zero Gravity, the goal of the competition was to build a GPS system around Mars, and with the recent Perseverance landing and the first flight of Ingenuity preparing to launch on the red planet, there is no doubt in my mind we are transitioning into a new space age already. It’s our job to prepare and inspire this generation to build a bridge to a brighter future -- they will be the ones who take the next giant leap for mankind. At 11 years old, they’ve already touched space, and I can’t wait to see where they take us next.” said Thomas Verrette, Director/Producer/Editor of ZERO GRAVITY
For more information and tickets visit: www.annapolisfilmfestival.org.
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