CIELO

Chile’s Atacama Desert is a favourite place for astronomers, thanks to its breathtakingly clear and dark night skies. It’s a sky that enables the research of planet-hunters using the area’s observatories. For generations, it has also fed the imagination and legends of local communities. If science and faith have one thing in common, it’s a sense of wonder at the mysteries of the universe. Alison McAlpine takes us on a poetic, playful and profound journey to meet both astronomers and residents. As soon as we look up at the stars, questions both physical and metaphysical emerge, and the filmmaker puts them to everyone she meets. A spiritual quest with superb cinematography.