CNN FILMS PRESENTS
The Hunt for Planet B captures the human drama behind NASA's high-stakes Webb Telescope which launched on December 25, 2021. The film interweaves the creation of this massive machine - the most ambitious space observatory ever built - with the story of a pioneering group of female scientists on a quest to find life beyond our solar system. What begins as a real-time scientific adventure turns into a deep meditation on our place in the universe. On the brink of seeing farther out than ever before, we find ourselves looking back at our own imperiled planet with new eyes.
PRESS
CNN FILMS TAKES THE HUNT FOR PLANET B TO TV
"Intriguing… Impressive… The Hunt for Planet B is [a] human story. It reveals a world of thinkers, dreamers and doers that dare to imagine what’s out there on exoplanets…” Forbes
“The film features women from all parts of astronomy, from an engineer on the Webb to… Jill Tarter, chair emeritus of the SETI Institute… who was the inspiration for Jodie Foster’s character in the 1997 film Contact…” The Washington Post
“[The] search for life is front and center in a new documentary film about the Webb telescope…” The New York Times
“An impassioned and unabashedly intellectual documentary… Kahn’s documentary helps us stand back and remember just how essential science is to progress.” Roger Ebert.com
"The film provides a behind-the-scenes view of the technical complexities, personalities, and politics that go into building a multi-decade space mission…” Science
“Kahn’s film is extremely down-to-earth… graspable. But even more so, it manages to put a friendly, mostly female face to all the technical exploits and celestial theorizing…” The Hollywood Reporter
★★★★1/2
“I anticipate The Hunt for Planet B will be considered one of the finest documentaries of 2021.” Loud and Clear Reviews
★★★★
“Humbling, awe-inspiring…” Cinevue
“Kahn brings things down to earth just in time for audiences to reconnect with what is the most important question of all: Why… Why? Because: Hope.” Austin Chronicle
★★★★1/2
“If you’re a nerd for space, then this documentary was made for you.” The Sunbreak
“Get your daughters to watch this documentary and let them be inspired.” Criticologos
BONUS MATERIAL
SXSW Panel - Cosmic Breakthrough: Women in The Hunt for Planet B
FILMMAKERS
Director & Producer
Nathaniel Kahn
Producer
Bonnie Hlinomaz
Executive Producers
Sandra Evers-Manly, Carleen Beste,
Matt Mountain, Lawrence B. Benenson,
Gerry Ohrstrom, Alberto Conti
Editor
Sabine Krayenbühl
Cinematographer
Robert Richman
Composer
Paul Leonard-Morgan
Co-producers
Lisa Remington, Marya Flanagan
NASA Director of Photography
Michael McClare
2nd Unit Director of Photography
Mark Gambol
Visual Effects
Michael Wharton
Sound Designer
Robert Hein
Re-Recording Mixers
Tony Volante, Robert Hein
Sound Recordist
Edward O’Connor
Title Designer
Randy Balsmeyer
THE WEBB TELESCOPE NEARS COMPLETION