Award-Winning Short Film is Set on an Exoplanet

By Nancy Atkinson - September 19, 2012 02:54 PM UTC | Exoplanets

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A new short film called "Grounded" portrays an astronaut stranded on another planet. The film combines great storytelling with stunning effects, and the visuals are nothing short of convincingly and stunningly real. But the ethereal, dream-like nature of the film is reminiscent of the ending of the movie "2001," so, actually understanding the plot is

not

what the film is about. Instead it invites "unique interpretation and reflection by the viewer," according to the description of the film. In under 8 minutes, the film explores themes of "aging, inheritance, paternal approval, cyclic trajectories, and behaviors passed on through generations," which is ambitious for a sci-fi genre short. "Grounded" was written, directed, edited and produced by

Kevin Margo

. It is perhaps one of the best short films I've ever seen.

"Grounded" has won several awards including Best Experimental Short at the 2012 USA Film Festival, Best Picture at the 2012 Winter Film Awards, Best Short Film at the 2012 Independent Filmmakers Showcase Film Festival, Best Sound at the 2012 Independent Filmmakers Showcase Film Festival, and many more.

See more about

Grounded from Kevin Margo on Vimeo.

Nancy Atkinson

Nancy Atkinson

Nancy Atkinson is a space journalist and author with a passion for telling the stories of people involved in space exploration and astronomy. She is currently retired from daily writing, but worked at Universe Today for 20 years as a writer and editor. She also contributed articles to The Planetary Society, Ad Astra (National Space Society), New Scientist and many other online outlets.

Her 2019 book, "Eight Years to the Moon: The History of the Apollo Missions,” shares the untold stories of engineers and scientists who worked behind the scenes to make the Apollo program so successful, despite the daunting odds against it. Her first book “Incredible Stories From Space: A Behind-the-Scenes Look at the Missions Changing Our View of the Cosmos” (2016) tells the stories of 37 scientists and engineers that work on several current NASA robotic missions to explore the solar system and beyond.

Nancy is also a NASA/JPL Solar System Ambassador, and through this program, she has the opportunity to share her passion of space and astronomy with children and adults through presentations and programs. Nancy's personal website is nancyatkinson.com