Get a glimpse of ‘Cities of the Future’ at Kamin Science Center
An IMAX-enhanced vision of what society could look like in the not-too-distant future just arrived in Pittsburgh.
“Cities of the Future,” a new documentary chronicling current efforts to create a more sustainable world, premiered Friday at the Daniel G. and Carole L. Kamin Science Center’s Rangos Giant Cinema. The film is narrated by “The Office” and “A Quiet Place” star John Krasinski and will remain at the Science Center through Sept. 29.
Marcus Harshaw, the Science Center’s associate museum director, told the Post- Gazette earlier this week that a documentary showcasing the high-level work of professional engineers and the conceptual prowess of aspiring city planners fits in perfectly with the North Shore museum’s educational goals.
“Engineering is the ‘E’ in ‘STEM,’” he said, referring to the common acronym for science, technology, engineering and mathematics. “‘Cities of the Future’ gives us an opportunity to dip into that content in a way that’s going to be really engaging for audiences of all ages.”
Mr. Harshaw was recently promoted within the Science Center and now oversees its many exhibitions, Rangos programming and science outreach initiatives. He was one of the few Science Center staff members who knew before Jan. 24 that the museum named after Andrew Carnegie had received a $65 million gift from the Kamin family and would soon become the Daniel G. and Carole L. Kamin Science Center.
As far as Mr. Harshaw is concerned, that was unquestionably “one of the best-kept secrets in Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh history.” He’s more than aware that many Western Pennsylvanians received that news with the same amount of disdain and stubbornness they displayed after Heinz Field became Acrisure Stadium in 2022.
“It’s all at least calmed down a little bit,” Mr. Harshaw said. “We getting less of, ‘I’m always going to call it Carnegie Science Center!’ ”
None of that external noise has stopped the Science Center’s creative team from keeping the Rangos Giant Cinema stocked with a diverse array of movies. Mr. Harshaw touted Rangos’ “really strong fall” that included both Halloween and holidayoriented film series. He’s putting the finishing touches on a mysterious spring film series and is also planning a “familyfocused” programming slate to coincide with an upcoming summer exhibition.
The Science Center nabbed “Cities of the Future” partially due to its preexisting relationship with distributor MacGillivray Freeman Films, a studio that specializes in IMAX films like “America’s Musical Journey,” “National Parks Adventure,” and the Liam Neeson-narrated “Ireland” documentary that recently began its third Rangos run.
Bringing those films to the Rangos Giant Cinema is just one example of how the Science Center strives to “connect with people of different learning styles,” according to Mr. Harshaw.
“Some people are visual learners who need to see the story, and MacGillivray Freeman does that really well,” he said.
With “Cities of the Future,” MacGillivray Freeman followed engineers worldwide who have already made great strides toward finding sustainable solutions to pressing problems. The film highlights modern breakthroughs while also displaying computer-generated renderings of seemingly science fiction-esque ideas like cosmic solar panel networks and flying cars commuting on aerial highways.
It also captures footage of middle-school students participating in a “Future City Competition” that, according to its website, asked them to “imagine, research, design and build cities of the future that showcase their solution to a citywide sustainability issue.”
“We want to make sure that all our audiences see themselves reflected doing science,” Mr. Harshaw said. “Engineering is a tough field and a tough area of science for us to have a lot of exhibits or theater programs that help display that content. To have a film about engineering that focuses on a group of middle schoolers really ties all those things together.”
It seems likely that Friday’s “Cities of the Future” worldwide premiere was scheduled to coincide with National Engineers Week from Feb. 18-24. Mr. Harshaw mentioned that the film’s themes connect to the sustainability-minded elements of the Science Center’s “Mars: The Next Giant Leap” exhibit that opened in November 2023.
He’s hoping that “Cities of the Future” can “really ignite people” to think about engineering as both a potential career path and vehicle for making the world a better place.
“If one student has that spark here,” Mr. Harshaw said, “it’s entirely worth it.”