Small Town Universe

Small Town Universe paints an intimate and captivating portrait of life in Green Bank, West Virginia, home to the world's most sensitive radio telescope and the only U.S. town where Wi-Fi and cell phones are banned. In this uniquely radio-quiet community, scientists use the telescope to search for signs of extraterrestrial intelligence and advance the field of radio astronomy while residents navigate through pivotal moments of existence, forming deep connections with the universe, science, and one another.

Touring with the Film

Katie Dellamaggiore (Director, Producer) is an Emmy Award-nominated documentary filmmaker and commercial director. Her feature directorial debut, Brooklyn Castle, won the SXSW Audience Award, was a New York Times Critic's Pick, and was nationally broadcast by PBS's acclaimed POV series. 

At Courageous Studios, Warner Bros Discovery's branded content studio, Katie directs bold, culturally relevant premium storytelling for advertisers. She’s directed commercials for Delta, Sleep Number, Subaru, Hulu, Lego, The Salvation Army, Abbott and Micron. Her recent work for Amica won the Digiday Best Brand Series award.

Katie just released her latest feature, Small Town Universe, which won the Global Health Competition Award at the Cleveland International Film Festival. The film received support from the Sundance Institute Documentary Film Program, the National Endowment for the Arts, Tribeca Film Institute, Catapult Film Fund, The Rogovy Foundation, The Gotham Film & Media Institute and the West Virginia Humanities Council.