Is darkness becoming extinct?

Our lighting design team loved this documentary made by filmmaker (and amateur astronomer) Ian Cheney and recommend anyone with an interest in our cities and light (especially any budding lighting designers) watches it.

Synopsis: is darkness becoming extinct? When filmmaker Ian Cheney moves from rural Maine to New York City and discovers streets awash in light and skies devoid of stars, he embarks on a journey to America’s brightest and darkest corners, asking astronomers, cancer researchers and ecologists what is lost in the glare of city lights. Blending a humorous, searching narrative with poetic footage of the night sky, “The City Dark” provides a fascinating introduction to the science of the dark and an exploration of our relationship to the stars. Winner, Best Score/Music Award, 2011 SXSW Film Festival. Produced in association with American Documentary | POV.

See the trailer here.

Image: Selina Merie