Magnetic Reconnection

In March of 2012 Canadian filmmaker Kyle Armstrong travelled to Churchill Manitoba to capture images of the northern lights. Using a one of a kind purpose built digital IMAX resolution camera Armstrong captured astonishingly detailed images of the aurora on nine of ten possible nights. The camera utilizes two precisely calibrated fast wide angle prime lenses allowing for a field of view of nearly 90° and a very large and highly sensitive digital sensor capable of ultrahigh ISO settings allowing for frame rates previously impossible. During the day Armstrong and co-cinematographer and auroral scientist Dr Trond Trondsen explored the landscape surrounding the town of Churchill. They went to great lengths in arctic conditions to shoot super8, 16mm and DSLR time-lapse footage of Miss Piggy, a C46 aircraft which crashed just short of the airport in 1979, the Ithaca IV, a Greek steamship trapped on the shores of Hudson Bay since the 1950s, and Fort Churchill, the American rocket range active during the 1960s. Magnetic Reconnection features an original score by the Grammy Award winning experimental composer/artist/producer Jim O’Rourke (Sonic Youth, Gastr Del Sol, Wilco, Werner Herzog’s Grizzly Man) and with a voice-over provided by singer/songwriter/actor Will Oldham (Bonnie “Prince” Billy, Old Joy, Matewan). The film received its premiere at AFI Fest 2012 and has since been selected for SXSW 2013, the 51st Annual Ann Arbor Film Festival, True/False Film Festival, Big Sky Documentary Film Festival, Full Frame Documentary Film Festival, received a Jury's Citation Award from the touring Black Maria Film Festival, was selected for the Art Galley of Alberta's 2013 Alberta Biennial of Contemporary Art and opened the 2013 Nordlys Film Festival. More announcements to come. Magnetic Reconnection was produced with the generous support of the Alberta Foundation for the Arts, the Edmonton Arts Council and MacEwan University.

website: www.magneticreconnection.ca

trailer: vimeo.com/45872831

DocuShort
Director:
Kyle Armstrong
Year:
2012
Country:
Canada
Genre:
Documentary
Length:
13'
Producer:
Kyle Armstrong
Music:
Jim O'Rourke