“Hollywood relies on Bruce Willis to save the world in Armageddon, but who are the real-life heroes seeking to save our civilization from the next major asteroid impact?” This is the question that headlines the press release of Nelly Ben Hayoun's new documentary, Disaster Playground. Hayoun’s second feature doc, after 2012's The International Space Orchestra, follows the handful of scientists in charge of monitoring all the potentially hazardous materials floating around in space and the people in charge of planning the destruction of said hazards. In addition to interviews with an array of specialists, the film features humorous hypothetical re-enactments “of off-nominal situations by world-renowned space experts at NASA and the SETI Institute.”
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The film made its US debut at SXSW, where it was selected one of the six highlights from the film festival's Feature Documentary category. "It’s Dr. Strangelove meets This is Spinal Tap. You straddle a big red phone and go on a wild ride along a chain of command that is complex and exhilarating," says Paola Antonelli, Senior Curator at The Museum of Modern Art. The movie also has a killer original soundtrack, courtesy of none other than Ed Banger and The Prodigy. Check out the trailer, as well as images from the film, below:
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