Anyone who lives in an urban area immediately notices when they visit a rural community that the night seems much darker and stars that they never notice in the city shine brightly. With the invention of the electric light, man was able to reorient his day without reference to the time of day and the rising and setting of the sun, but what are the consequences of a life without stars in the sky and no escape from light? Filmmaker Ian Cheney explores the issue of light pollution and its many unexpected consequences in this documentary The City Dark. The film includes interviews with astronomers, scientists and medical researchers who discuss the impact of our brightly lit cities on wildlife, human health and the study of the stars, and what can be done to change our course. The City Dark was an official selection at the 2011 South by Southwest Film Festival, where it received the Jury Prize for Best Musical Score. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi