Latest news with #Spacewoman
Yahoo
29-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
‘Spacewoman' Doc About First Woman to Command a Space Shuttle Mission Screens at CPH:DOX While NASA Axes Pledge to Land a Woman on the Moon
Hannah Berryman's documentary 'Spacewoman' chronicles the life and career of astronaut Eileen Collins, the first woman to pilot and command a spacecraft in an era where many men still thought there was no place for women in space. During her time working at NASA in the 1990s, Collins broke many glass ceilings, which culminated in four dramatic and dangerous space shuttle missions. Through archival materials and intimate interviews, Berryman's doc celebrates Collins' groundbreaking work in space while also considering the emotional drama Collins' family experienced during her trailblazing career. The film is timely, given the fact that in February, U.S. President Donald Trump ordered NASA to purge diversity, equity, and inclusion frameworks specifically targeting women in leadership. In 2023, NASA proclaimed that it would 'land the first woman, first person of color, and first international partner astronaut on the moon using innovative technologies to explore more of the lunar surface than ever before.' However, since Trump's February mandate, that language has been removed from NASA's website. More from Variety 'Always' Review: Deming Chen's Strikingly Confident Debut Plays Like a Long Visual Poem Deming Chen's 'Always' Wins Main Prize at CPH:DOX as Mstyslav Chernov Nabs F:ACT Award for '2000 Meters to Andriivka' Kansas City Chiefs Docuseries Set at ESPN and Disney+ From 'The Last Dance' Producers Berryman has made several documentaries about influential women, including Princess Margaret ('Princess Margaret: The Rebel Royal') and Coco Chanel ('Coco Chanel: Unbuttoned'). The director spoke to Variety about 'Spacewoman,' which made its European debut in CPH:DOX earlier this week.. 'Spacewoman' is based on the 2021 book 'Through the Glass Ceiling to the Stars.' Did you read the book and immediately know that you wanted to make a doc, or did someone suggest making a doc about the book? Berryman: The producer, Keith Haviland, has been involved with making major space films, and thought Eileen's story was of special interest. After optioning her book, he came to me with fellow producer Natasha Dack, who knew my work, to see if I was interested in making a film about Eileen. I read the book and immediately wanted to make the documentary. Eileen wasn't from a privileged background and had issues from that to deal with. She became a pilot and then the first woman to pilot and command a space shuttle through sheer willpower. Alongside all that was the complex emotional journey for her own family. It was this engrossing story and the fact that she became a pioneer in this new world for women that made me want to make the film. Why does it make sense to tell the story of Eileen Collins now? There have had many films made about male astronauts, and I was very surprised there hadn't been a film about the first woman to pilot and then to command a spacecraft. Piloting was such a testosterone-driven arena in the 1970s and '80s, the world of 'Top Gun.' It was really extraordinary to have been a woman breaking through into this world at that time. Since NASA now plans to send a crew to the moon again that will, this time, include women, it made sense to look back at the story of this woman who trail-blazed for other women to follow. You have made several films that profile women. What about that topic intrigues you the most? I really only make films that I can connect with personally, and I guess as a woman, it is easier for me to connect with the experience. It's also great to be able to look at the lives of women doing something totally new to me, finding out about being a woman in their worlds, and trying to delve into the broader themes each of their stories touch on. With Eileen, I was interested in how her difficult background had, in a way, helped her to conquer fear more easily, a skill she'd had to develop as a child. And this grit was necessary to do the work she did, pioneering in the dangerous world of aviation, especially when it came to piloting the space shuttle. Yet on a private level, conquering this fear and being able to compartmentalize emotion, something women have traditionally not been seen as doing as much, had implications for her in terms of family life and motherhood when her turn came. So in a way, the film turns into a meditation on fear, emotion, and family life, and all the ways that can work. The first and second half of 'Spacewoman' are structured differently. Can you talk about how you decided to structure the film and what was behind that decision? I like films that start one way and give you something you didn't expect by the end. When you start the film on Eileen, you know it will be a film about firsts for a woman. Establishing the person Eileen was, and the unlikely background she had, together with the challenges faced by women back then, was crucial as the film's beginning. Then it turns a corner and becomes a film about a commander in charge of an experimental and hazardous mission, the return-to-flight after NASA lost the whole crew in the Columbia accident. Her being a woman is only part of the story – and that's how it should be. Her background and family situation in the present continues to be woven through, hopefully giving the whole story added emotional weight – so that you come out both with an understanding of an incredible woman, and with thoughts about the nature of human risk-taking in general, and especially in space. National Geographic released 'Sally' about Sally Ride, the first American woman to blast off into space, at Sundance. Does that concern you in terms of finding distribution for this doc? We are optimistic. Sally Ride has a different story since she wasn't a pilot, but rather a scientist who went to space in this capacity and was the first woman to do that. We also want 'Sally' to be a tremendous success. After all, there have been many films about male astronauts, surely there's room for more than one film about the women. 'Spacewoman' is a Haviland Digital Production in association with TigerLily Films. Best of Variety What's Coming to Disney+ in April 2025 New Movies Out Now in Theaters: What to See This Week The Best Celebrity Memoirs to Read This Year: From Chelsea Handler to Anthony Hopkins
CBS News
15-03-2025
- Entertainment
- CBS News
Film industry celebrities descend on Colorado for Boulder International Film Festival
The Boulder International Film Festival is hosting some 60 film industry guests coming to screen their films. On Saturday night, the Colorado festival is presenting actress Jane Lynch with its Entertainer of the Year Award. The Emmy, Golden Globe, and Screen Actors Guild award winner will take part in an hour-long career-retrospective interview moderated by Scott Feinberg, executive editor at The Hollywood Reporter. The conversation will cover some of Lynch's most notable performances including her work on "Glee," "The 40-Year-Old Virgin," "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel," and most recently "Only Murders in the Building." Designer Kenneth Cole will receive BIFF's Catalyst Award for the monumental impact he has had on many important causes. The award presentation will be after the screening of the new documentary about his career and activism. The film is called "A Man with Sole: The Impact of Kenneth Cole." The designer started out in the early 80s and very quickly wrapped social consciousness into his business brand. He did a promotional campaign about how people weren't talking about HIV/AIDS. "Arguably, it changed the man, changed the brand, changed the business, everything about me. It was just ... everything just became so much more meaningful," Cole told CBS News Colorado. Over the years, he promoted his products along with causes like homelessness, LGBTQ+ rights, and social justice. Cole sees his company as a model for what other American companies can be. The film focuses on the injection of philanthropy into a business model. "It isn't a company that embarks on social impact. Social impact is not something we do, it's who we are. Everybody in the company touches it in different ways at different points," Cole explained. Former astronaut Eileen Collins is also coming to the Boulder International Film Festival to talk about a new documentary about her life and career, called "Spacewoman." Collins became the first woman to pilot a Space Shuttle, and the first woman to command a Space Shuttle mission. "Spaceflight is such a wonderful human experience, and I sincerely believe that space tourism is going to be extremely successful," Collins told CBS News Colorado. In the U.S. Air Force, Collins became a test pilot, taught at the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, and earned the rank of Colonel. Then she was tapped for NASA's Space Flight program in the 1990's. She served as commander for four missions including the "return to flight" mission after the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster in 2003. The documentary covers all those achievements and more. "It's not just about airplanes and space. I think that would be the structure of the I did as an astronaut, but it also has a family message in there," Collins explained. Collins will be joined by Director Hannah Berryman, and Producer Keith Haviland at the screening of "Spacewoman" on Sunday, March 16, at 6:15 p.m. at the Boulder Theater. These are just a few of the many film industry celebrities that will be in Boulder for BIFF, which is long known for attracting in-person appearances. BIFF runs from Thursday, March 13 - Sunday, March 16, 2025. All four days are jam packed with events, screenings and parties at venues throughout Boulder.
