El Paso Space Festival 2022-Nerd Night – Sci-Fi Movie Night

Sunday, September 18th, 12:00PM – 3:00PM (times subject to change)
Alamo Drafthouse – Monticello, 250 Montecillo Blvd, El Paso, TX 79912

In the far future, space exploration technologies have advanced enough to create an interstellar spaceship to transport over 5000 people to live on a new planet. You are one of those people, sleeping peacefully in suspended animation during the 120 yr journey. A computer malfunction wakes you up 90 years too early. You realize you are the only one awake, all alone…. What do you do?

Passengers takes a look at this imagined future, exploring “fascinations and perils of interstellar travel” (How realistic is the Interstellar Ship from ‘Passengers’?) and asks viewers to consider the possibilities, moral and ethical dimension of such a reality. Join us to watch “Passengers” (2016), a film that brings science fiction and romance at the forefront of space exploration. The film, deemed as brilliant for bringing to light the ethical conundrum of space exploration and the beauty of the vast unknown, is one you’d surely want to see. Winner, Arts Director Guild Excellence in Production Design; Two time Academy Award Nominee.

At this special Nerd Night event not only will you get to enjoy the entertainment of the film, but you will have the opportunity to join in the discussions with expert moderators:

Official Movie trailer

Guest Speakers

• Dr. Reyes Espinosa, UTEP (Space Ethics perspective) – Reyes Espinoza, Ph.D., works within the discipline of philosophy as an applied ethicist focusing on issues of planetary climate change and political corruption. He has made inroads into philosophy of space and pop culture through his analyses of the anime Legend of the Galactic Heroes as well as Cowboy Bebop. His previous work includes creating logical arguments utilizing insights from the field of moral psychology to understand and motivate societal change concerning global social conflicts. Space travel, a new frontier for human societies, presents new challenges and opportunities for philosophical discourse concerning technology, modes of human existence, economic relations, and lifestyles.