David Fairhead directed the docu, which was produced by Keith Haviland and Gareth Dodds. The trio was behind The Last Man On The Moon, the story of astronaut Gene Cernan which landed at SXSW in 2015. For Mission Control, they had unprecedented access to archival footage and stories from the men who lived it including Dr. Chris Kraft, the creator of Mission Control; retired NASA flight directors Gene Kranz (played by Ed Harris in Apollo 13), Glynn Lunney and Gerry Griffin; flight dynamics officer Jerry Bostick; flight controller John Aaron; and astronauts James Lovell (Tom Hanks in Apollo 13), Charlie Duke and Cernan.
The group was assembled from all walks for the unprecedented program, which featured a faltering start, the Mercury and Gemini missions, the tragic Apollo 1 fire and of course the moon landings. Average age of Mission Control members: 27.
Check out the trailer above.
“It’s a real privilege to tell this epic story of a remarkable decade. It shows what vision and teamwork can achieve,” said Haviland. Added Fairhead: “The Apollo program is one of mankind’s greatest achievements. To make this film of the unsung heroes has been a fantastic experience.” From Dodds: “We are excited to be working with Gravitas Ventures to bring our film to a global audience. It’s a story that we hope will inspire and move people everywhere.”
The deal was negotiated by Gravitas CEO and founder Nolan Gallagher, and Dodds and Haviland for Haviland Digital.