Between 1968 and 1972, twenty-four American astronauts traveled to the Moon, with twelve of them walking on its surface. Through interviews with 5 Apollo astronauts, as well as family members of two of the astronauts who have passed, the film looks into how going to the Moon changed the astronauts, as well as how the astronauts helped people back on Earth better understand our own planet. The film also explores the impact of the photographs coming out of NASA during the Apollo era and what role they played in helping start the environmental movement in the early 1970s. One of these photos was Earthrise, taken by Bill Anders on Apollo 8, who tells the story of his photo in Cosmic Birth. Nature photographer Galen Rowell declared Bill's photo Earthrise "the most influential environmental photograph ever taken". The film also tells the story of the training of the Apollo astronauts in Iceland in 1965 and 1967 before their lunar missions.
Participants
Five Apollo astronauts appear in original interviews in Cosmic Birth; Walter Cunningham who flew on the first manned Apollo mission, Bill Anders who along with Frank Borman and Jim Lovell was the first human to orbit the Moon, Rusty Schweickart who flew the first Lunar Module, Charlie Duke who was the youngest person to walk on the Moon, and Harrison Schmitt who was the only scientist and last person to set his foot on the Moon. Other astronauts appear in archival footage, including Neil Armstrong, whose son Mark Armstrong is interviewed in the film. Owen Garriott's son Richard Garriott who is a second generation astronaut is also interviewed. In addition to the Apollo astronauts and their families, the film features interviews with Icelandic poet Vilborg Dagbjartsdóttir, artist Chris Calle, around the world pilot Amelia Rose Earhart, astrophysicist Dr. Michael Shara, and Expedition News editor Jeff Blumenfeld.
The musical score for Cosmic Birth was composed by Icelandic musicians Andri Freyr Arnarsson and Óskar Andri Ólafsson, in collaboration with the film's director Rafnar Orri Gunnarsson who is himself a musician. The soundtrack was released on vinyl and Spotify on January 10, 2020, on a full moon. The theatrical release poster for Cosmic Birth was released on 28 May 2019 and features a pregnant woman who is Mother Earth. The art and the title of the film are a reference to a quote in the film by Apollo 9 astronaut Rusty Schweickart who compared the Apollo missions to a cosmic birth, giving us the first true view of our mother Earth. The poster is designed by artist Dušana Pavlovičová.
Release
The film was released simultaneously in cinemas and on RÚV, the National TV of Iceland, on July 20, 2019, in celebration of the 50th anniversary of Apollo 11's first landing on the Moon. An event commemorating the historic significance of Apollo 11 took place in the documentary cinema in Reykjavík before the premiere of the film. No admission fee was charged in cinemas in Iceland but guests had to book their tickets in advanced. The writers and producers of the film consider it Iceland's contribution to celebrating "humanities greatest achievement, going to another world". From October 2019, the film will screen at selected cinemas in Europe and in the US. The film had its US premiere at the Explorers Club in New York City on November 15, 2019, followed by a Q&A moderated by private astronaut Richard Garriott. The first trailer for the film was released on June 5, 2019.
