Watchlist: The Last Man On The Moon

Mark Stewart Productions announced that its critically-acclaimed documentary The Last Man On The Moon will be in UK cinemas from 8^th April. The Last Man On The Moon is powered by the same adrenaline, drama and raw emotions experienced by former NASA astronaut and Navy Captain Eugene “Gene” Cernan. When Cernan became the last man to step off of the surface of the moon in December 1972, he left his footprints and his daughter’s initials in the lunar dust. Only now is he ready to share his epic and deeply personal story of fulfillment, love and loss.

Five years in the making, the documentary unveils a wealth of rare archival footage and takes Cernan back to the launch pad at Cape Kennedy (now NASA Kennedy Space Center), to the Arlington National Cemetery, and to his Texas ranch where he tries to find respite from a past that refuses to let him go. The film features exclusive interviews with former astronauts, such as Apollo 12 crew-members Alan Bean and Dick Gordon and Apollo 13 Commander Jim Lovell, as well as NASA Flight Director Gene Kranz and Director of Flight Operations Chris Kraft.

Mark Craig, Director of the movie  said: “I first read Gene’s Cernan’s autobiography back in 2005, and even before reaching the end I knew it was a story I had to try and bring to the screen. Many films and TV programmes had been made about space, the historical significance of mankind’s first steps on the moon, and the science and technology that it took to get us there. But never before had I been so moved by the personal journey of one man caught up in the thick of it all, burning with passion to achieve the goal – whatever the cost.

Clearly the setting of space has an abundance of visual and sonic opportunities, and I was eager to explore these, integrating them carefully with the emotional thrust of Cernan’s story. I also wanted to take him back to a number of locations that featured prominently in his life, hoping that old memories would be triggered by various sights, sounds and smells. It is always interesting to see how a subject is influenced by past events, and during the course of filming our principal character really began to open up. The passage of time has brought a clearer perspective to Gene Cernan, and with it some refreshing eloquence and honesty.”

xxx

The Last Man on the Moon is available on iTunes and On Demand from 15 April http://thelastmanonthemoon.com/