Synopsis
The Atacama Desert in Chile is known as the refuge of astronomers: the sky observed there at night is breathtaking. This sky feeds the research of the scientists who work in the observatories; it also feeds, for generations, the imagination and the legends of the local communities. For the deep mysteries that the universe presents to us are what science and belief have in common. A true love poem addressed to the starry sky, Cielo transports us to a calm and silent place, where one can meditate on the infinite and the unknown.
A word from Tënk
The stars cannot shine without darkness.
Located in the north of Chile, the Atacama Desert is an exceptional site for observing the night sky because of its geographical location, which provides all the ideal conditions: no light pollution, high altitude and very low humidity, ensuring incomparable visibility. Fascinated by the heavens since a transcendent experience lived there some time before, director Alison McAlpine – accompanied by her cinematographer Benjamin Echazarreta – returns there to capture all the beauty and mysteries of the cosmos. In this unique place where it seems possible to literally touch the sky with the fingertips, the duo filmed with great technical ingenuity the stellar splendors revealed at night. During the filming, they also meet astronomers, scientists, workers and inhabitants of the region who reveal their intimate relationship with the sky with great candor. The result is a fruitful exchange of ideas, friendly smiles, amazed looks, shared silences and a great humility in front of this unknown space that holds an infinite number of possibilities; this grandiose canvas that allows us to project ourselves, to question ourselves and, above all, to dream… since the beginning of time.
Cielo is a real incitement to contemplation, a call to raise our eyes to the sky, to stimulate our curiosity and to keep on marveling.
Jason Burnham
Tënk's programming coordinator
