Prove the Creation movie isn't too controversial for the U.S.!

creation movie paul bettany as charles darwinOver the weekend, the Internet was abuzz with news that the Creation movie, a partner of the Darwin150 Project and the Darwin Facebook Group, is still without a distribution deal in the US, even though it has distribution almost everywhere else in the world.

The original article that was being tweeted (and retweeted) is here: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/6173399/Charles-Darwin-film-too-controversial-for-religious-America.html

creation movie paul bettany as charleApparently only 39% of Americans believe in evolution according to a Feb 2009 Gallup poll.

The film has been written about (although not reviewed yet) by Roger Ebert and Eugenie Scott, Director of the National Center for Science Education (another sponsor of our project!) gave her thoughts on the film on the Panda's Thumb blog.

From the press kit:

creation movie paul bettany as charles darwin, jennifer connelly as emma darwinPart ghost story, part psychological thriller, part heart-wrenching love story, CREATION is the powerful story of Charles Darwin and the single most explosive idea in history.

Paul Bettany (MASTER AND COMMANDER, A BEAUTIFUL MIND) stars as a young Charles Darwin, writing On the Origin of Species. His theory would turn the world upside down, and challenge the love of his deeply religious wife (played by real life partner Jennifer Connelly, A BEAUTIFUL MIND, BLOOD DIAMOND).

His beliefs remain controversial even today.

The film  is directed by Jon Amiel (Entrapment, Sommersby, The Singing Detective) from a screenplay by John Collee (Master and the Commander: The Far Side of the World, Happy Feet), based upon Randal Keynes’ book, ‘Annie’s Box’, about the life of his great great grandfather Charles Darwin. Produced by Jeremy Thomas (The Last Emperor, Sexy Beast)

Check out the video clips here:

Quicktime: http://video.thinkjam.com/?h=8cd313e4b4b8223046f32022ff8640b7&q=hi&m=qt

RealPlayer: http://video.thinkjam.com/?h=8cd313e4b4b8223046f32022ff8640b7&q=hi&m=real

Windows Media: http://video.thinkjam.com/?h=8cd313e4b4b8223046f32022ff8640b7&q=hi&m=win

We are encouraging people who want to prove that there is an audience for the film, to join our Facebook group. At over 250,000 members, we have already shown that there is real support for Darwin and science by the general public, but we want to be even bigger. Help us get to our goal of 1 million!

And don't forget, the Creation movie and the rest of our sponsors, including National Geographic, Citrix Online, Campaign Monitor, Harvard University of Comparative Zoology, National Center for Science Education, and New York Academy of Sciences have partnered with us to celebrate the 150th anniversary of "On the Origin of Species" with a series of events this Fall.

Our first free event live at Harvard and via webcast and phone is this Wed. September 16 with Professor Everett Mendelsohn. Professor Mendelsoh will speak on "The World Before Darwin" drawing from his popular undergraduate course, "The Darwinian Revolution" and his many decades of experience studying the history of science and the impact of Darwin.

 It's selling out, so register here for our first event!

National Geographic covers Darwin150 campaign

national geographicNational Geographic just wrote an article about the Darwin150 campaign "Darwin Devotees Make 'Father of Evolution' Facebook Superstar!"

You can see their positive write-up here. Among other things, it really underscores what an incredible volunteer effort the Darwin Facebook Group has become.

Who would've thought a just-for-kicks Facebook campaign to wish Darwin a Happy Birthday would turn into a quarter of a million people within the general public showing support for Darwin and science, and even starting a multi-part lecture series with some of the most prominent scientists in the world?

Science Magazine promotes Darwin150.com and Darwin Facebook Group!

Science Magazine at ScienceMag.org just did a piece on the origins of the Darwin Facebook Group and The Darwin 150 Project on their blog!

The headline is Join Darwin on Facebook (can't get better than that!) and includes this great quote from esteemed scientist, Sean Carroll:

"This series is unique in both the medium and the audience," says evolutionary biologist and author Sean Carroll of the University of Wisconsin, Madison, who has been active in Darwin celebrations across the globe and is involved in making a TV documentary on evolution. "It will be interesting to see its reach and the make-up of the audience."

Professor Carroll is headlining the third free lecture in our upcoming series and is a wonderful speaker--don't miss him! Register here to attend live or via webcast or phone.

Lecture 3: "The Making of the Fittest: Natural Selection and the DNA Record of Evolution"
Professor Sean Carroll, University of Wisconsin
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
8:00PM EST/5:00PM PST
Register here to participate for free: (live at University of Wisconsin or via live webcast or phone)
http://darwinlecture3.eventbrite.com/

We are so excited about this project and thrilled that ScienceMag.org felt we were worthy of the mention. Thank you, Science Magazine.

Visit ScienceMag.org for the full story!