FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Frances Lee, Director of Communications, 225.344.5272 x 112, flee@lasm.org
BATON ROUGE, LA – The Louisiana Art & Science Museum (LASM) will premiere the groundbreaking giant screen film In Saturn’s Rings on National Astronomy Day – Saturday, September 26, 2020 – in the Irene W. Pennington Planetarium. In Saturn’s Rings is generously sponsored by the Charles Lamar Family Foundation.
Written, produced, and directed by innovative filmmaker Stephen van Vuuren, In Saturn’s Rings takes viewers on a 14 billion light-year journey of the mind, heart, and spirit from the Big Bang to the conclusion of the Cassini-Huygens Mission at Saturn. Narrated by Star Trek: The Next Generation actor and Reading Rainbow host LeVar Burton, In Saturn’s Rings utilizes no CGI effects or 3D modeling of any kind. Instead, over one-hundred volunteers painstakingly integrated more than 7.5 million still images taken during the Cassini-Huygens Mission, Sloan Digital Sky Survey, Hubble Telescope time-lapses, and more to create this film. Many of these images have never been seen by the public.
“The Irene W. Pennington Planetarium has anxiously awaited the release of In Saturn’s Rings since its planning was first announced in 2014,” said Sheree Westerhaus, LASM’s Director of Operations & Planetarium. “Though we hoped to begin showing the film earlier this year, the COVID-19 pandemic had other plans. We decided to delay the premiere until Louisiana moved into Phase 3 so that as many people could experience this film as possible. We know In Saturn’s Rings will offer an experience unlike any other for our audience and can’t wait to share it!”
In Saturn’s Rings will be shown at 11 AM, 12 PM, 2 PM, and 4 PM during its September 26 premiere. The showings are included in general admission, which will be paid at the door on a first-come, first-served basis. Capacity in the Irene W. Pennington Planetarium is limited in order to ensure that social distancing guidelines of 6 feet are adhered to. Masks are required and will be provided free-of-charge to visitors who arrive without them.
“Considering the community involvement and scientific effort it took to create this amazing film, LASM sees In Saturn’s Rings as a perfect melding of art and science, representing the curiosity and passion for discovery that we seek to foster in our visitors,” stated Serena Pandos, LASM’s President & Executive Director. “We strive to create a community of lifelong explorers inspired by art and science, much like the volunteers who came together to create this stunning program.”
“At a time like this, thinking about subjects much larger than ourselves can be healing,” continued Pandos. “This program exploring the cosmos allows LASM to educate students and the general public on subjects of science, astronomy, technology, engineering, art, and mathematics while also being entertaining. We cannot thank the Charles Lamar Family Foundation enough for their investment in LASM by sponsoring this innovative new program!”