Hawaii International Film Festival 2009

BLAST! tells the tale of an audacious team of scientists hoping to travel back in time…on a balloon. The documentary follows Mark Devlin PhD as he leads his astrophysics team, consisting primarily of graduate students, in launching BLAST (Balloon-Borne, Large-Aperture, Submillimeter Telescope). This specially designed telescope was created to capture images of light from distant star-forming dust clouds, which could help us explain the evolution of stars, our galaxies, and Earth. Their adventure takes the team to Arctic Sweden, across the polar bear country in Canada and ultimately to the windswept ice of Antarctica. Watch as these scientists cope with the harsh environments, technical difficulties and constant threat of failure. This absorbing documentary leads to some unexpected twists and turns and concludes like a suspenseful drama. Devlin's SLAM NATION was a big success at HIFF in 1998. - Barbara Bumatay