Film about Forgotten Space Artist Honored with Best Documentary Award at the 44th Boston Sci-Fi Fest

BOSTON - Feb. 19, 2019 - PRLog -- Producer/Director/Writer Douglass M. Stewart Jr.'s compelling film Chesley Bonestell A Brush With The Future was voted "Best Documentary" at the 44^th Annual Boston Science Fiction Film Festival on February 16^th. Bonestell (1888-1986) is the influential, but seemingly overlooked, space artist whose paintings motivated Americans to explore "The Final Frontier." On hand at the event was legendary filmmaker Douglas Trumbull, who appears throughout the documentary. "I worked on 2001: A Space Odyssey, and Chesley Bonestell's paintings were a guide star for Stanley Kubrick, who wanted the moon sequences to have 'the Bonestell look.'" said Mr. Trumbull.

     Chesley Bonestell: A Brush with the Future is the first film ever made about the visionary artist whose breathtaking paintings have taken generations of stargazers and sci-fi enthusiasts through and beyond our solar system. The mostly forgotten artist has even been credited as a quiet force behind the creation of America's space program and the formation of NASA.

    "We are extremely honored to have won the Best Documentary award at Boston's Science Fiction Film Festival," said Mr. Stewart. "Chesley's art made quite an impact on readers who saw his paintings on the covers of science fiction magazines and books in the 1940's, 50's and 60's. They still resonate today. Boston and Chesley have quite a history together, and one of his dazzling paintings of the Milky Way still hangs in this city's Museum of Science."

Boston Sci-Fi Film Festival Director Garen Daly said, "This is a terrific film. I didn't know the name Chesley Bonestell, but I remember seeing his amazing artwork as I was growing up.  When the film was submitted to us, we were compelled to have it in our festival, and now that it's won Best Documentary, we could not be happier for everyone connected with this extraordinary documentary." The film had previously been given an Audience Award at the 2018 Newport Beach Film Festival and was named Best Documentary at Comic-Con in San Diego last July.

    Beyond exploring the art and the 98-year life of Chesley Bonestell himself, the film chronicles his achievements in architecture and Hollywood movies. Bonestell helped rebuild San Francisco after the 1906 earthquake, lent his talents to the design of the Chrysler Building, and turned blueprints of the Golden Gate Bridge into something San Franciscans wanted built. His architectural skills created movie magic when he moved to Hollywood, where his iconic matte paintings appeared in film classics from Citizen Kane to The War of the Worlds. Bonestell had his first space paintings published in Life magazine in 1944, which led to his illustrating the best-selling 1949 book, The Conquest of Space, written by rocket expert Willy Ley.

    Chesley Bonestell: A Brush with the Future will have its World Theatrical Premiere in San Francisco at the Roxie Theatre on February 22^nd at 7pm and February 23^rd at 2:30pm.  For more information, please visit The Roxie Theatre website at https://www.Roxie.com or call (415) 863-1087.

More about the Film: Chesley Bonestell: A Brush with the Future is an Official Selection of the 2019 Sonoma International Film Festival and will be playing in various space and science museums across the U.S. as part of the 50^th Anniversary Apollo 11 Moon Landing festivities.

The film's website: http://www.chesleybonestell.com