Coolidge Corner Theatre Brookline, MA
Avi Loeb
Frank B. Baird Jr. Professor of Science and Astronomy Department Chair, Harvard University
Arrival— Life among the stars
Program Description
Harvard astronomy chair Avi Loeb discusses interstellar travel and the search for extraterrestrial life.
Presented At
Coolidge Corner Theatre Brookline, MA
Film Synopsis
After twelve mysterious spacecraft appear around the world, a linguist recruited by the military races to decipher the aliens' language and intentions before fear leads to war.
When mysterious spacecraft touch down across the globe, an elite team—lead by expert linguist Louise Banks (Amy Adams)—are brought together to investigate. As mankind teeters on the verge of global war, Banks and the team race against time for answers—and to find them, she will take a chance that could threaten her life, and quite possibly humanity.
Director Denis Villeneuve (Blade Runner 2049) cemented his auteur status with this superb and cerebral sci-fi masterpiece, featuring a stellar lead performance by Adams.
Banner image courtesy of PHOTOFEST
About the Speaker
Abraham (Avi) Loeb is the Frank B. Baird, Jr. Professor of Science at Harvard University. He has published 4 books and over 700 papers on a wide range of topics, including black holes, the first stars, the search for extraterrestrial life, and the future of the universe. He serves as chair of Harvard's Department of Astronomy, founding director of Harvard's Black Hole Initiative and director of the Institute for Theory and Computation within the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics. He also chairs the advisory committee for the Breakthrough Starshot initiative, serves as the science theory director for all initiatives of the Breakthrough Prize Foundation, as well as chair of the board on physics and astronomy of the National Academies. He is an elected fellow of the American Academy of Arts & Sciences, the American Physical Society, and the International Academy of Astronautics. In 2012, TIME magazine selected Loeb as one of the 25 most influential people in space.