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= Chesley Bonestell: A Brush With The Future = Chesley Bonestell: A Brush With The Future is a feature documentary produced, written and directed by Douglass M. Stewart, Jr. and co-produced by Ron Miller and Melvin Schuetz. It chronicles the life and impact of space artist and architect Chesley Bonestell (1888-1986).

Backstory
Prior to the documentary, Douglass Stewart worked for 35 years producing tribute films for the Oscars, Emmys, and the Screen Actors Guild, along with various other tribute films. As a child, he saw Chesley's paintings in science fiction books and magazines. He had always thought about doing a film on Chesley Bonestell and his artwork, and he eventually decided to see if one had already been made. In his research, he ran across the name Ron Miller, a noted space artist and author of two books about Bonestell. When Stewart contacted Ron Miller and asked if anyone had made (or was making) a documentary on Chesley, Ron told him that "Nope; it’s time to do one. You should do it, and I will help you.”

Stewart collaborated with Miller and Bonestell historian Melvin Schuetz, who is also the author of the book "A Chesley Bonestell Space Art Chronology." The film's main goal is to re-introduce the public to Chesley Bonestell and his space art, and perhaps inspire young people to pursue a career in space, similar to how Bonestell's paintings influenced previous generations. The film heavily draws from the book "The Art of Chesley Bonestell," written by Frederick C. Durant and Ron Miller, with Melvin Schuetz.

Shooting began in May 2015, and the film took 3 1/2 years to make.

Synopsis
The film is a straight-forward, comprehensive telling of the life of Chesley Bonestell (1888-1986). Topics of notable discussion are Chesley's architectural background, his renderings of the Golden Gate Bridge, his work as a matte painter in Hollywood, and most of all, his space art. This includes his most famous painting "Saturn as Seen from Titan," which is also known as "the painting that launched a thousand careers." The film makes important note that Chesley's space art influenced many of the young people in the 40s, 50s and 60s, which helped lead to the development of the space program and NASA. Several interview subjects mention Chesley's unique ability to paint images that no human has ever seen before. This message is reflected in the film's poster: "He painted the future. How did he know?"

The documentary is mostly told through voice-over narration and interviews with various scientists, engineers, filmmakers and artists discussing the impact of Bonestell's work on history. Interviews include Douglas Trumbull, Ben Burtt, David Aguilar, Richard Edlund, Irene Edwards and Don Davis, as well as archival interviews of Ray Bradbury and Chesley Bonestell himself. The documentary uses footage from a variety of sources, including NASA archival footage and old photographs of Chesley throughout his life.

The film is dedicated to William C. Estler, Frederick I. Ordway III and Frederick C. Durant III, whose great efforts helped preserve the heritage of Chesley Bonestell.

Screenings
The film premiered at the 2018 Newport Beach Film Festival, where it won an Audience Award for Best Film in the category of Art, Architecture + Design. It won "Best Documentary" at the Comic-Con International Independent Film Festival and the Boston Science Fiction Film Festival. The film premiered theatrically at the Roxie Theater on February 22nd, 2019 in Chesley's native hometown of San Francisco.

Bonus Features are in development and are expected to be released with the DVD.