Contact (1997)

Country of Origin: USA
Year of Production: 1997
Running Times: 153 mins
Length: 4206 metres
Format: Technicolor 35mm 65mm (composite shots) 8mm (childhood scenes) Betacam SP (TV scenes) Panavision (anamorphic)
Ratio: 2.35:1
Sound: DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

SELECTED CREDITS

(Full Credits)

PRODUCTION
Production Company: Warner Brothers/Southside Amusement Company
Executive Producers: Joan Bradshaw, Lynda Obst
Producers: Robert Zemeckis, Steve Starkey
Co-Producers: Carl Sagan, Ann Druyan
Associate Producers: Rick Porras, Steven J. Boyd

SCRIPT
Script: James V. Hart, Michael Goldenberg
Novel: Carl Sagan
Story: Carl Sagan, Ann Druyan

DIRECTION
Director: Robert Zemeckis
2nd Unit Director: Steve Starkey

PHOTOGRAPHY
Director of Photography: Don Burgess

EDITING AND POST-PRODUCTION
Editor: Arthur Schmidt
Additional Editor: Harry Keramidas

MUSIC
Music: Alan Silvestri

SOUND
Sound Designer: Randy Thom
Production Sound Mixer: William B. Kaplan

MAKE-UP AND COSTUMES
Key Make Up: Hallie D'Amore
Make Up: Steve Artmont, Margaret E. Elliott
Key Hair: Kathryn L. Blondell
Hair: Janice Alexander, Audrey Anzures, Carolyn Elias, Vivian McAteer
Costume Designer: Joanna Johnston

SPECIAL MAKE UP EFFECTS
Prosthetic Make Up Effects Producer: Keith VanderLaan

SPECIAL EFFECTS
Special Effects: Alterian Studios; Big Sky Post; CIS Hollywood; Effects Associates Ltd; Industrial Light and Magic; Pacific Ocean Post Digital Film Group; Sony Pictures Imageworks; Weta Digital Ltd

VISUAL EFFECTS
Special Visual Effects: Sony Pictures Imageworks

DIGITAL EFFECTS
Digital Effects: Sony Pictures Imageworks; Weta Digital Ltd; CIS Hollywood; Warner Digital; Centropolis Effects

DESIGN AND SET CONSTRUCTION
Production Designer: Ed Verreaux
Art Directors: Bruce Crone, Lawrence A. Hubbs
Set Designers: Easton M. Smith, James Clayton, Dean Wolcott, Evelyn Barbier, John Lusby, Kristen Pratt, Mariko Braswell

LOCATIONS
Locations: Arecibo Observatory, Arecibo, Puerto Rico; Canyon de Chelly National Monument, Arizona, USA; Herndon, Virginia, USA; Kennedy Space Center, Florida, USA; Los Angeles, California, USA; National Radio Astronomy Observatory, Socorro, New Mexico, USA; Plains of San Augustin, Magdalena, New Mexico, USA; Very Large Array, Socorro, New Mexico, USA; Victorville, Mojave Desert, California, USA; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Gros Morne National Park, Newfoundland, Canada

STUNTS
Stunt Coordinator: Bud Davis
Stunts: Jill Stokesberry, Kim Robert Koscki

CASTING
Casting: Victoria Burrows

CAST
Jodie Foster (Ellie Arroway)
Jena Malone (young Ellie)
Matthew McConaughey (Palmer Joss)
David Morse (Ted Arroway)
Geoffrey Blake (Fisher)
William Fichtner (Kent)
Sami Chester (Vernon)
Timothy McNeil (Davio)
Laura Elena Surillo (cantina woman)
Tom Skerritt (David Drumlin)
Henry Strozier (minister)
Michael Chaban (Hadden suit)
Maximilian Martini (Willie)
Larry King (himself)
Thomas Garner (Ian Broderick)
Conroy Chino (KOB-TV reporter)
Dan Gifford (Jeremy Roth)
James Woods (Michael Kitz)
Vance Valencia (Senator Valencia)
Angela Bassett (Rachel Constantine)
Donna J. Kelley (herself)
Leon Harris (himself)
Claire Shipman (herself)
Behrooz Afrakhan (Middle Eastern anchor)
Saemi Nakamura (Japanese anchor)
Maria Celeste Arraras (Latina anchor)
John Hurt (S.R. Hadden)

Radio astronomer Ellie Arroway detects a radio signal broadcast from deep space. Decoding the message, she and her team discover that it contains detailed instructions for the construction of a machine that will allow an operator to contact the alien's homeworld. But using the machine could be risky and Arroway has some tough decisions to make.

Argentina
Theatrical Distributor: Warner Brothers
Video Distributor: Argentina Video Home

Australia
DVD Distributor: Warner Home Video (includes - commentaries by Jodie Foster, Robert Zemeckis, Steve Starkey, Ken Ralston and Steven Rosenbaum; computer animation concepts and tests; special effects designs)

Germany
Theatrical Distributor: Warner Brothers GmbH
DVD Distributor: Warner Home Video (15041; includes - commentaries by Jodie Foster, Robert Zemeckis, Steve Starkey, Ken Ralston and Steven Rosenbaum; computer animation concepts and tests; special effects designs)

Italy
Theatrical Distributor: Warner Brothers

Japan
Theatrical Distributor: Warner Brothers

Spain
Theatrical Distributor: Warner Española SA

UK
Theatrical Distributor: Warner Brothers
Video Distributor: Warner
DVD Distributor: Warner Home Video (D015041; includes - commentaries by Jodie Foster, Robert Zemeckis, Steve Starkey, Ken Ralston and Steven Rosenbaum; computer animation concepts and tests; special effects designs)

USA
Theatrical Distributor: Warner Brothers
Laserdisc Distributor: Warner Home Video (15041); Warner Home Video (15731)
DVD Distributor: Warner Home Video (15041; includes - commentaries by Jodie Foster, Robert Zemeckis, Steve Starkey, Ken Ralston and Steven Rosenbaum; computer animation concepts and tests; special effects designs)

Argentina
Rating: 13

Australia
Rating: M

Belgium
Rating: KT

Chile
Rating: TE

Finland
Rating: K-12/9

Germany
Rating: 12 (bw)

Italy
Rating: T

Netherlands
Rating: AL

Norway
Rating: 7

Portugal
Rating: M/12

Spain
Rating: T

Sweden
Rating: 7

UK
Rating: PG

USA
Rating: PG (for some intense action, mild language and a scene of sensuality)

1997
Annie Awards, USA
Best Individual Achievement: Effects Animation (Jay Redd) - nominated

1998
ASCAP Film and Television Music Awards, USA
Top Box Office Films (Alan Silvestri) - winner

Academy Awards, USA
Best Sound (Tom Johnson, William B. Kaplan, Dennis S. Sands, Randy Thom) - nominated

Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films, USA
Saturn Award: Best Actress (Jodie Foster) - winner
Saturn Award: Best Performance by a Younger Actor/Actress (Jena Malone) - winner

Blockbuster Entertainment Awards, USA
Favorite Actor: Drama (Matthew McConaughey) - nominated
Favorite Actress: Drama (Jodie Foster) - nominated
Favorite Supporting Actor: Drama (Tom Skerritt) - nominated

Golden Globes, USA
Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture: Drama (Jodie Foster) - nominated

Golden Satellite Awards, USA
Outstanding Visual Effects (Ken Ralston) - nominated
Outstanding Cinematography (Don Burgess) - nominated

Hugo Awards, USA
Hugo: Best Dramatic Presentation - winner

Image Awards, USA
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture (Angela Bassett) - nominated

International Monitor Awards, USA
Theatrical Releases - Electronic Visual Effects (Jerome Chen, Debbie Denise, Sheena Duggal, Ken Ralston, Jay Redd, Steven Rosenbaum, David Jones) - winner

Motion Picture Sound Editors, USA
Golden Reel Award Best Sound Editing: Sound Effects and Foley - nominated

Rembrandt Awards, USA
Audience Award: Best Actress (Jodie Foster) - winner

World Animation Celebration, USA
Best Use of Animation as a Special FX in a Theatrical - winner

1997
July
11: Canada, USA - theatrical release

September
5: Colombia - theatrical release
11: Argentina - theatrical release
13: Japan - theatrical release
17: Belgium, France, Spain - theatrical release
19: Brazil, Switzerland (French speaking region) - theatrical release
25: Chile - theatrical release
26: Iceland, Ireland, Mexico, UK - theatrical release

October
2: Singapore - theatrical release
3: Switzerland (German speaking region) - theatrical release
9: Germany - theatrical release
10: Austria, Denmark, Finland - theatrical release
16: Australia, Hong Kong - theatrical release
17: Portugal - theatrical release
23: New Zealand - theatrical release
25: Taiwan - theatrical release
30: Netherlands - theatrical release

November
5: Kuwait - theatrical release
7: Greece, Poland, Sweden - theatrical release
13: Hungary - theatrical release
15: Korea - theatrical release
18: Croatia - theatrical release
26: Italy - theatrical release

December
5: Estonia - theatrical release
16: USA - DVD release (Warner Home Video (15041))
17: USA - laserdisc release (Warner Home Video (15041))

1998
February
Day Unknown: USA - laserdisc release (Warner Home Video (15731))

September
25: Germany - DVD release (Warner Home Video (15041)); UK - DVD release (Warner Home Video (D015041))

The Academy Award-winning director of "Forrest Gump" and Pulitzer Prize-winning author of "Contact" take you on a journey to the heart of the universe

A message from deep space. Who will be the first to go? A journey to the heart of the universe.

If it's just us, it seems like an awful waste of space.

Contacto - Portugese/Venezuelan title
Ensimmäinen yhteys - Finnish title
Kapcsolat - Hungarian title
Kontakt - Polish/Swedish title

FOOTAGE INCLUDED IN
1st Annual Mystery Science Theater 3000 Summer Blockbuster Review (1997)
AFI's 100 Years, 100 Thrills: America's Most Heart-Pounding Movies (2001)

MAGAZINES

Cinefantastique October 1997 pp.112-113 (USA)
illustrated article

Dreamwatch no.38 pp.18-19 (UK)
illustrated article

Empire November 1998 p.139 (UK)
review

Film Review October 1997 p.15 (UK)
review (by James Cameron-Wilson)

Imágenes October 1997 p.116 (Spain)
review (by Ángel Sala)

Première October 1997 p.35 (France)
review (by Jean-Yves Katelan)

Sci-Fi Entertainment vol.4 no.3 (August 1997) p.38 (USA)
illustrated article (Contact is as Contact Does by Dan Perez)

Starlog no.241 (August 1997) pp.38-41
illustrated interview with Jodie Foster (Of Human Wonder by Bill Warren)

Studio September 1997 p.19 (France)
review (by Christophe D'Yvoire)

Total Film November 1997 pp.25-26, 82-83 (UK)
illustrated article, review (by Dean Evans)

Video Watchdog no.44 pp.55-56 (USA)
review

NEWSPAPERS

A Capital, Guia TV 8 May 1998 (Portugal)
review (by Rui Brazuna)

Diário de Notícias, Programas 17 October 1997 (Portugal)
review (by José De Matos-Cruz)

Expresso, Cartaz 11 October 1997 (Portugal)
review (by João Lopes)

Expresso, Cartaz 18 October 1997 (Portugal)
review (by Jorge Leitão Ramos)

book into film; aliens; radio signals; scientists; radio astronomers; bombs; mathematics; military; mexico; astronomy; beaches; the president; radio telescopes; helicopters; religion; twist ending; suicide; journalists; computers; wormholes; physics; nasa