MacGillivray Freeman Films ASCE’s forthcoming giant-screen film Cities of the Future has found its voice.
MacGillivray Freeman Films, the film’s production company, has announced award-winning actor John Krasinski as the narrator of Cities of the Future, scheduled to open Feb. 16. in select museums and theaters around the world.
“Audiences will be fascinated to discover how engineers see the future and all the incredible new technologies they are designing to help our cities adapt,” Krasinski said. “I’m thrilled to be working with the creative team at MacGillivray Freeman Films to help bring this exciting vision of the future to life with the power of the giant-screen experience.”
Cities of the Future invites audiences to explore the innovations civil engineers are designing now to meet the pressing challenges of a changing world and forge a brighter, more sustainable future.
From electric flying cars and aerial highways to smart buildings, greener infrastructure, and solar power beamed down from space, Cities of the Future offers an inspiring vision of how people will live 50 years from now, combining state-of-the-art CGI with live-action cinematography – and now the familiar voice of Krasinski as narrator.
Krasinski is probably best known as lovable and lovelorn paper salesman Jim Halpert on the Emmy-winning sitcom The Office. He’s since starred on Jack Ryan, while also excelling as an award-winning writer and director with titles including The Quiet Place and upcoming film If.
“John Krasinski is an exciting and talented storyteller, and his voice will lend a warmth and humanity to our story about human ingenuity and the solutions scientists and engineers are working on now to help our cities adapt to challenges like climate change and population growth,” said the film’s director Greg MacGillivray, two-time Academy Award nominee and chair of MacGillivray Freeman Films.
Cities of the Future marks the second giant-screen film from ASCE and the MacGillivray Freeman Films production team following the award-winning Dream Big: Engineering Our World, which was released in 2017 and continues to be a popular outreach tool.
Several ASCE members are featured in the film, including recent New Faces of Civil Engineering honorees Paul Lee and Monica Morales. With the film set to open next month, ASCE is offering grants of as much as $1,500 to Society groups who are putting on local outreach events and film screenings.
“This project will shine a giant IMAX spotlight on the entire profession, showcasing the wonders of civil engineering and future-ready infrastructure,” said ASCE Executive Director Tom Smith. “The film and its educational outreach programs will inspire, stimulate, and energize audiences worldwide, including the next generation of civil engineering leaders.”
Learn more about Cities of the Future and where you can see it next month.
Get to know the film’s star civil engineer Paul Lee.
How can you unlock the potential of the next generation? Send a kid to the future by donating to the ASCE Foundation. Your gift will help to grant free screenings of Cities of the Future to students from underserved communities.
