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Blast! Controversial adventure story to screen at the Irish Astronomical Association New Year Party | International Year of Astronomy in Ireland | Astronomy 2009

Blast! Controversial adventure story to screen at the Irish Astronomical Association New Year Party

IAA NEW YEAR PARTY & FILM - Northern Ireland Premiere, from Terry Moseley: "I'm glad to be able to confirm that through the hard work and good offices of IAA Council Member Robert Hill we have been able to obtain the new film 'BLAST!' for its first ever showing in N.I., and only the second screening in Ireland (the first was in a film festival). We are very grateful to Armagh Observatory and the Northern Ireland Space Office (a.k.a Robert Hill) for sponsoring this special preview showing! It will get IYA 2009 off to a flying start for the IAA!

The IAA New Year Party is on Saturday 3 January, at 6.00 p.m., Mc Brides, The Square, Comber, Co Down, and 7.30 at the Tudor Cinema, Drumhirk Road, Comber.

See the trailer here.

BLAST!  Controversial Adventure Story

to Screen at the Irish Astronomical Association New Year Party

Welcome to Astrophysics, Indiana Jones style!  Five-time Emmy winner Paul Devlin brings his newest film BLAST! to the Irish Astronomical Association New Year Party at the Tudor Private Cinema, Comber, Co Down  offering an exciting, enlightening ride around the world and across the Universe.

BLAST! follows the filmmakers brother, Mark Devlin, PhD, as he leads a tenacious team of astrophysicists hoping to figure out how all the galaxies formed by launching a revolutionary telescope on a NASA high-altitude balloon.  Their adventure takes them from Arctic Sweden to Inuit polar bear country in Canada, where catastrophic failure forces them to try all over again on the desolate ice in Antarctica. No less than the understanding of the evolution and origins of our Universe is at stake on this exciting escapade that seeks to answer humankind's most basic question, How did we get here?

As in director Paul Devlins award winning film Power TripBLAST! de-emphasizes talking head interviews and dispenses with anonymous narration in favour of capturing the action as it happens. Dynamic storytelling and unique access provide the rare opportunity to reveal the personal and family sacrifices, the obsessions, and even the philosophical questioning of scientists.

BLAST! boldly threads through its narrative a dialogue on science and faith between two lead scientists one an agnostic and the other a Christian.  The film allows its characters to discuss science and religious belief in a most natural way, and with a bit of humour states Larry Witham, author of By Design: Science and the Search for God.  The typical science documentary omits the topic entirely. 

My intention is to expose a much larger audience to the fascinating lives of scientists by breaking with some of the conventional approaches to science material, comments Director Paul Devlin.  This story had all the elements I needed.  The extreme events provide the structure for a classically suspenseful narrative, with a built-in twist at the end. The access to my brothers private life builds emotional resonance, and when I found out that one of the lead scientists was also a devout Christian, I thought, Perfect! 

The frank look at these issues, especially the religious discussion, has caused controversy among some scientists, many of whom may feel embattled by religious fundamentalism in the United States.  However, it has also allowed BLAST! to ignite debate and to inspire general audiences to reconsider the relationship between science and faith.

Filmed on location in 7 countries on 5 continents, BLAST! will screen nationally and internationally in film festivals and in conjunction with the International Year of Astronomy in 2009. Upcoming broadcasts of BLAST! so far include, BBC, Discovery Canada, SVT-Sweden, VPRO-Netherlands, YLE-Finland, and Al-Jazeera.  Paul Devlin was awarded the 2007 New York State Council of the Arts (NYSCA) Individual Artist Award for BLAST!  A trailer, photos, press package, list of upcoming screenings and additional information is available at http://www.blastthemovie.com

BLAST! will screen at the Irish Astronomical Association New Year Party, 3rd January at the Tudor Private Cinema, Drumhirk Road, Comber, Co Down, BT 23 5LY, at 7.30 p.m. This special screening is open to IAA members and friends, but places are strictly limited, so admission will be by pre-booking only. Send a cheque for 10, payable to Irish Astronomical Association, to include a buffet meal in McBrides on the Square, Comber at 6.00 p.m. before the film, to the IAA Treasurer, Mr John Hall, 3 Vaddegan Avenue, Newtownabbey, Co Antrim, BT36 7SP, no later than 31 December 2008.

THIS SCREENING IS SPONSORED BY ARMAGH OBSERVATORY, and THE NORTHERN IRELANDSPACE OFFICE, for which the Irish Astronomical Association expresses its sincere gratitude.

About Paul Devlin

A five-time Emmy winner for work on NBC's Olympics and CBS's Tour de France, Paul Devlin's films include Power Trip, which screened in 60 countries, theatrically across the US and on PBS Independent Lens, was nominated for a 2004 Independent Spirit Award, and won 10 film festival awards, including prizes at Berlin, HOT DOCS, and Florida.

 International Year of Astronomy, Ireland National Node