The Sedona International Film Festival is proud to bring you an exciting event on Saturday, Oct. 4 at 7 p.m. at the Mary D. Fisher Theatre: Explorers Club Live: From the Edge of Space to the Depths of the Ocean.

For the first time in Sedona, the legendary Explorers Club will host a live event featuring two world-renowned explorers: Daniel Apai and Samantha Schwann.

Join astrobiologist and astrophysicist Daniel Apai for a visual journey through the Galaxy in search of new worlds. The latest technology is finally opening our eyes to a fascinating and unexpected diversity of planets beyond the Solar System. Apai will share photos and stories about his projects that use powerful telescopes in space and in the Atacama Desert and on Arizona mountaintops to survey hundreds of nearby stars for yet unseen planets. Apai and his NASA-funded team of astrobiologists work toward understanding which nearby planets are most promising for our search for life, how these planets may differ from Earth, and how we could recognize life that is truly alien.

Join underwater explorer and photographer Samantha Schwann into the ocean’s twilight zone, a layer of ocean now thought to contain more marine life than the rest of the ocean combined. Schwann shares stories, images, and video from expeditions to Mexico and Canada, piloting a remote operated vehicle (ROV) to depths between 300-1000 feet deep, a niche zone generally too deep for diving yet shallower than most scientific. The ROV faced shark testing, krill swarms and squid intercepts, descending into an oasis of life. Vibrant deep-sea corals and delicate sponges teeming with marine life spanning nearly the entire food chain, many species remaining a mystery.

A reception will follow the event, offering attendees the chance to meet Daniel and Samantha as they explain the artifacts and equipment used for their exploration.

Daniel Apai
Dániel Apai is an astrobiologist and astrophysicist who specializes in the discovery and study of planets around other stars. He is a Professor of Astronomy, Planetary Sciences, and Optical Sciences at The University of Arizona. For over twenty years, he has used the most powerful ground-based telescopes – often located in high-altitude deserts – and space-based telescopes to search for and characterize extrasolar planets. Dániel leads the NASA-funded Alien Earths astrobiology team, which focuses on understanding the formation and habitability of nearby planetary systems. He founded and led Project EDEN, an international search for planets in the closest planetary systems. His work has led to several influential discoveries, including the nearby super-jupiter Beta Pictoris b, the identification of gigantic atmospheric waves in exoplanet and brown dwarf atmospheres, and the finding that planetary systems also form around sub-stellar brown dwarfs. He also leads the development of the Nautilus Space Observatory, a space telescope constellation using a revolutionary new optical technology. Dániel is a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and The Explorers Club.

Samantha Schwann
Samantha Schwann is an underwater explorer and visual storyteller. Since 2021, her work has concentrated on documenting biodiversity within low-light ocean depths, often referred to as the twilight zone. Now thought to contain more marine life than the rest of the ocean combined. Elected as a member of The Explorer’s Club in 2022, her work is drawn to the intersection between art, exploration, technology, and science. In 2021, she incorporated the use of underwater remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) to pilot at depths between 250–1000 feet, a niche zone generally too deep for diving and shallower than typical research expeditions. Schwann’s photographic work has been recognized through exhibitions, awards, grants, and publications. Her film work has since been included in both an exhibit and a film festival screening. She enjoys connecting with audiences through public speaking, and has appeared on Discovery Channel’s Shark Week, as well as podcasts and radio.

About The Explorers Club
The Explorers Club is an international multi-disciplinary professional society whose mission is to support and promote scientific exploration, field study and education around the world. The club was founded in 1904 and has approximately 3500 members worldwide in over 60 countries in all continents.

Its members have included: Teddy Roosevelt, Charles Lindbergh, Neil Armstrong, John Glenn, Jane Goodall, James Cameron, Robert Peary, Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay, and Thor Heyerdahl. More recently high-profile members like, Richard Branson, Jeff Bezos, and Elon Musk are backing cutting-edge research, developing innovative technologies, and enabling expeditions that would otherwise be impossible. Explorers Club member, Josh Gates has recently brought more widespread attention to the Club’s endeavors with the series Expedition Unknown.

Explorers Club members carry a legacy of discovery and exploration that has advanced our understanding of the world and of space.

Explorers Club Live: From the Edge of Space to the Depths of the Ocean takes place Saturday, Oct. 4 at 7 p.m. at the Mary D. Fisher Theatre. Tickets are $20 in advance or $25 at the door. For tickets and more information, please call 928-282-1177. Both the theatre and film festival office are located at 2030 W. Hwy. 89A, in West Sedona. For more information, visit: www.SedonaFilmFestival.org.