“Deep Sky,” a New IMAX Original Documentary on NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope, Will Open at the Airbus IMAX Theater

Viewers can embark on a breathtaking journey when Deep Sky opens Oct. 20 in IMAX at the Airbus IMAX Theater at the National Air and Space Museum’s Smithsonian’s Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Virginia. The documentary brings the awe-inspiring images captured by NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) to IMAX—taking audiences on a journey to the beginning of time and space, to never-before-seen cosmic landscapes and to recently discovered exoplanets, planets around other stars.

Directed by Academy Award-nominated filmmaker Nathaniel Kahn and narrated by Academy Award-nominated actress Michelle Williams, Deep Sky follows the high-stakes global mission to build JWST and to launch it into orbit 1 million miles from Earth in an attempt to answer questions that have haunted humans since the beginning of time: Where did we come from? How did the universe begin? Are we alone? Deep Sky reveals the universe, 13 billion years in the making, as people have never seen it before, immersing audiences in the stunning pictures beamed back to Earth by NASA’s new telescope—and capturing their vast beauty at a scale that can only be experienced on the giant IMAX screen.

“If there ever was a subject tailor-made for IMAX screens, this is it,” Kahn said. “The IMAX format allows you to appreciate the astonishing resolution of NASA’s new telescope and to immerse yourself in cosmic landscapes that leave you filled with awe.”

Deep Sky goes behind the scenes of JWST, capturing its launch and the release of the mind-blowing first full-color images seen by billions around the world. The film is a thrilling story that begins during the telescope’s construction, following it to the harrowing launch stage, and through the release of the first full-color images to the public July 12, 2022, and beyond.

“I’ve always been fascinated by the beauty and magnitude of space,” Williams said. “I’m excited to work with Nathaniel and IMAX to tell the story of the captivating images taken by this new telescope.”

Deep Sky is written, produced and directed by Kahn, produced by Bonnie Hlinomaz and executive produced by John Turner, Matt Mountain, Sandra Evers-Manly and Gerry Ohrstrom. The film was financed in part by a grant from the Northrop Grumman Foundation and is co-financed by IMAX. IMAX and the filmmakers are grateful to NASA, European Space Agency, Canadian Space Agency, the Space Telescope Science Institute and AURA Astronomy for their assistance in making this film.

Deep Sky has a run time of 40 minutes. Tickets are available at the Airbus IMAX Theater box office and online. The Airbus IMAX Theater is in the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum’s Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center located on 14390 Air and Space Museum Parkway, Chantilly, Virginia.

About the Airbus IMAX Theater

The Airbus IMAX Theater at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center houses the biggest IMAX screen in Northern Virginia. It is among the first in the world to feature the latest IMAX laser projection system. The dual 4K laser projection system, with a 12 discrete channel sound system, provides audiences with the sharpest, brightest, clearest and most vivid digital images ever, combined with a whole new level of immersive audio.

Concessions will be available for purchase, including sodas, candy, craft beer, wine and the movie staple—popcorn.

 About IMAX Corp.

IMAX is headquartered in New York City, Toronto and Los Angeles, with additional offices in London, Dublin, Tokyo and Shanghai. As of June 30, there were 1,718 IMAX systems operating in 87 countries and territories. For more information, visit www.imax.com.

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