RIIFF's Annual Christmas in Newport

Movie-Magic First Look:

"The Wonder of It All"

December 8th at 4:00 p.m.

Bazarsky Lecture Hall, O’Hare Academic Center,

Salve Regina University, 100 Ochre Point Avenue, Newport, RI

Tiokets: $10 General; $8 Seniors & $6 Students

Twelve Americans left their footprints on the lunar surface during six landings from 1969 to 1972. Three — Alan Shepard, Pete Conrad and James Irwin — have died.

While they would be loathe to label themselves heroes, these men touched the American zeitgeist in ways that impact us even today. What made them so special? What promise did they hold out for a generation mired in one war after another since 1941? What could the current generation learn from what they achieved?

Enter film director, Jeffrey Roth who has set out to answer these questions with his powerful new documentary, “The Wonder of It All,” which will be given a special screening on Saturday, December 8th at 4:00 p.m., Bazarsky Lecture Hall, O’Hare Academic Center, Salve Regina University in Newport, RI. The film will be presented as part of the third annual “Movie Magic” screening for Christmas in Newport.

This event is sponsored by the RI International Film Festival & the Flickers Arts Collaborative and hosted by Salve Regina University and the SRU Department of Music. Tickets are $10 for the general public, $8 for seniors, and $6 for students with a valid ID. All proceeds support the programming of the 37th Annual Christmas in Newport; a month-long celebration of the noncommercial traditions of the holiday Season.

ABOUT THE FILM:
From 1969 to 1972 12 men on 6 Apollo missions walked on the moon. Filmmaker Jeffrey Roth and his crew combine NASA file footage with in-depth interviews with seven of the men that made that fantastic journey to the Moon and back. These are intimate accounts of how these historical missions affected each man in his personal life. Captured are candid and emotional moments, as well as revealing statements about the real nature of space flight in the Apollo era.

This film took 2 years to make. From the beginning, the goal was to make a humanistic story that allowed these remarkable men to talk about their lives and explore how walking on the moon affected each one personally.

Roth and his team were able to conduct in depth interviews with 7 of the men that made these journeys. From this, they ended up with over 12 hours of footage that then had to be painstaking narrowed down to 90 minutes.

What viewers will see are men who have not only gazed into space, but have looked into their own souls. Since the producers were able to develop trust and a strong rapport with the astronauts, some remarkable revelations surfaced.

As the cameras ran through narrative pauses, the interviewees spontaneously blurted out thoughts they may never have spoken before as illustrated by Aldrin’s deeply personal description of the impact on him, prior to Apollo 11, of his mother’s unexpected suicide.

"We've long since taken off the silver suit and helmet," said Eugene Cernan of Houston, the last man to walk the moon on Apollo 17. "We're no longer invincible — we're grandfathers. We've mellowed and gotten nostalgic."

Other moonwalkers interviewed were Apollo 12's Alan Bean and Apollo 16's John Young, both of Houston; Apollo 16's Charles Duke Jr. of New Braunfels; Apollo 11's Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin; Apollo 14's Edgar Mitchell of Lake Worth, Fla.; and Apollo 17's Harrison Schmitt of Albuquerque, N.M.

Audiences are in for a treat as filmmaker Jeffrey Roth will be in attendance to not only introduce his film, but he will answer questions at the conclusion of the screening. A reception honoring the director and saluting the 37th Annual Christmas in Newport will follow the screening

This "compelling" film with its "engrossing portraits of the original moon-walkers" received a four star review by Michael Janusonis of the Providence Journal • learn more about the film here • read the Journal review here • go to the Christmas in Newport site here.

For more information about this special “Movie Magic” screening of “The Wonder of It All,” call 401.849-6454 or visit the Christmas in Newport web site at www.christmasinnewport.org.

THE WHO, WHAT AND WHERE OF IT:

WHAT: RIIFF’s Third Annual “Movie Magic” Film Screening, presenting Jeff Roth’s “The Wonder of It All.”

WHEN: Saturday, December 8th at 4:00 p.m.

WHERE: Bazarsky Lecture Hall, O’Hare Academic Center, Salve Regina University, Ochre Point Avenue, Newport, RI.  For more information, please call 401.849-6454.

WHO: This event is sponsored by the RI International Film Festival & the Flickers Arts Collaborative and hosted by Salve Regina University and the SRU Department of Music.

HOW MUCH: Tickets are $10 for the general public, $8 for seniors, and $6 for students with a valid ID.

Tickets can be purchased at the door the day of the performance or online below.

WHY: All proceeds support the programming of the 37th Annual Christmas in Newport.

DIRECTIONS: Click here for a map to Salve Regina University.

ABOUT THE RHODE ISLAND INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL:
The Rhode Island International Film Festival has celebrated over eleven years as a premiere international, independent film festival. Out of 3,000 film festivals worldwide, RIIFF is one of 61 festivals that have been granted status as a qualifying event for the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences (“Oscars”).  In a period of just over five years, fifteen films that have had their premiere with RIIFF were nominated for an Oscar and half-a-dozen have gone on to win the award.  In addition to its main festival in August, RIIFF also produces year-round programming, educational workshops, and community events. 

See the Trailer for the film:

This special Christmas in Newport Presentation is hosted by