The City Dark

"A search for night on a planet that never sleeps"

2012 1h 24m EN

🙌

7.5

BANGER

🍅

71%

FRESH

⭐

7.1

IMDB

★7.5TMDB · 11🍅71%Rotten Tomatoes★7.1IMDB · 336

Documentary

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

When filmmaker Ian Cheney moves to New York City and discovers skies almost completely devoid of stars, a simple question – what do we lose, when we lose the night? – spawns a journey to America's brightest and darkest corners. Astronomers, cancer researchers, ecologists and philosophers provide glimpses of what is lost in the glare of city lights. Blending a humorous, searching tone with poetic footage of the night sky, what unravels is an introduction to the science of the dark, and an exploration of the human relationship to the stars.

“A search for night on a planet that never sleeps”

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Where to watch · US

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Cast

Ian Cheney

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Ian Cheney
Writers: Ian Cheney
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

84 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 14 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Ian Cheney, shot by Ian Cheney. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Ian Cheney shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "A search for night on a planet that never sleeps".

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt1863406 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

Only 11 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Ian Cheney directs. Ian Cheney behind the camera. Ian Cheney cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

184 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.
2Released 14 years ago.
3Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.
4Directed by Ian Cheney, shot by Ian Cheney. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Editor Ian Cheney shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Marketing tagline: "A search for night on a planet that never sleeps".
7IMDB entry: tt1863406 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
8Only 11 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.