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Since the race for space began in the 1950s and ‘60s, astronauts have been turning their eyes and cameras back on the Earth. Perhaps the most famous look back was the photograph dubbed “Earthrise,” taken by the Apollo 8 astronauts on their way to the Moon in 1968.

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Seeing the Earth from space is an identity-and perspective-shifting experience. The planet, when viewed from orbit or the Moon, appears as a thing of beauty, a dynamic and borderless oasis, alive with myriad swirling colors and textures beneath its bright blue ribbon of atmosphere -- a spaceship on a four-billion-year cosmic journey.  To see it is to be suddenly conscious of the unity and oneness of all life… without borders, boundaries, enemies, or strangers.

 

In 1987, space philosopher Frank White captured the imaginations of many both within the space community and the public at large when he coined the term the “Overview Effect” to describe the cognitive shift astronauts experience when viewing the Earth from orbit or on a lunar mission and documented it in his seminal book, “The Overview Effect: Space Exploration and Human Evolution.”

 

As the interest in space exploration has grown so has space-related media, which has coincided with a global movement to “bring the Overview Effect down to Earth” for millions of people around the world. Of course, most of us will never leave the planet to experience the Overview Effect firsthand.

 

The Overview Effect Film Festival (OEFF) aims to provide the next best thing; to screen compelling international films and media projects that feature The Overview Effect by recognized and emerging filmmakers from across the globe.

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This year we will select theatrical and documentary films, feature films, shorts, and other media (both traditional and immersive) representing different genres and styles that convey the impact and experience of the Overview Effect as it relates to human space exploration, how we perceive ourselves and life on Earth, and our collective future on this planet or in space.

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