The Tribeca Film Festival takes a look back at 2001: A Space Odyssey on its 40th anniversary. The film was produced over two years at a cost of more than $10 million and caught the imagination of a generation with its near-hallucinatory depiction of space, artificial intelligence, and the human condition. Groundbreaking both then and now, the film was a marvel for its special effects (created by Douglas Trumbull and Con Pederson), its cinematography (by Geoffrey Unsworth), and its very construction-a bigbudget, non-narrative spectacle that seems to tackle the meaning of life in the 20th century and beyond. Who would imagine such a film, only half of which has dialogue, could succeed so spectacularly at catching the feeling of a moment in our country when humankind just began to contemplate the rise of computers, space travel, and artificial intelligence? The 40th anniversary of 2001 finds us once again confronting profound questions about the effect of artificial intelligence on our culture and our future. Hal's spine-tingling line, ""Just what do you think you're doing, Dave?"" predated fears of a Matrix- like world or techno-utopian visions of a wired future for the good of humankind. The film seems more prescient now as artificial intelligence becomes a reality and we debate what this means for us once again. Pilot and astronaut Buzz Aldrin-the Lunar Module Pilot on Apollo 11, the first lunar landing-joins scientists and filmmakers to discuss the realities of Kubrick's futuristic masterpiece and artificial intelligence.

Sponsored by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, which has partnered with Tribeca since 2002 as part of a nationwide effort to create more realistic and compelling stories about science and technology, including the new TFI Sloan Filmmaker Fund. Visit the Tribeca Film Institute website for more info.

ollowing a screening of Stanley Kubrick’s futuristic masterpiece—which celebrates its 40th Anniversary this year—join astronaut Buzz Aldrin (Lunar Module Pilot on Apollo 11, the first lunar landing), director/actor Matthew Modine (I Think I Thought; Full Metal Jacket), Ann Druyan (screenwriter, Contact) and Marvin Minsky (Professor, MIT) for a special discussion about the realities of the film and artificial intelligence. NPR Science Friday host Ira Flatow moderates. The screening will be immediately followed by a panel discussion with special guests Buzz Aldrin, Ann Druyan, Marvin Minsky, Matthew Modine and Ira Flatow.