Event

Sputnik Mania

ir. David Hoffman US 2007
Fifty years ago, at the height of the Cold War, the USSR launched Sputnik, the first satellite to orbit the earth, bringing America to its knees in awe - then fear. Initially seen as a marvel of science, Sputnik was soon viewed by America as a weapon of mass destruction. The ensuing space race led to the development of NASA and many of the discoveries that enabled todays consumer technologies, as well as to widespread panic when leading politicians and the media whipped the public into an escalating mass frenzy. Narrated by Liev Schreiber and making expert use of archival footage and interviews with the eras observers and participants, Sputnik Mania explores the fast-moving series of events that brought the worlds super-powers to the brink of nuclear war, and tells the story of two ex-generals whose private agreement prevented WW III. The lessons it imparts still resonate today. (92m)

Director David Hoffman will be present for Q&A on Fri 8/15 and Sat 8/16 at evening screenings.