The Man Who Saved the World, by Danish director Peter Anthony, will open in theaters for an awards-qualifying, liminted, theatrical release beginning Friday, September 18, 2015 at Cinema Village in New York City and Clinton Street Theatre in Portland, Oregon. On Friday, September 25, the film will open at Arena Screen in Los Angeles and Cinema Detroit in Detroit, Michigan.
On September 26th, 1983, an alarm sounded to indicate that five American nuclear missiles had been launched against the Soviet Union. Russian Lt. Colonel Stanislav Petrov defied military protocol, ignoring the incoming attack, confirmed by all the warning systems. He followed his own sense of responsibility and declared it a false alarm. His decision spared the world a nuclear holocaust. Decades later, this forgotten hero travels to the United States to accept an award from the United Nations and finally receive acknowledgement for his historical act. The Man Who Saved the World becomes a dramatic hybrid documentary; a historical thriller, and a story of great, personal redemption. It seamlessly melds together non-fiction and narrative filmmaking, depicting the actual events that took place more than thirty years ago. Stanislav Petrov reminds us how close the world came to World War III – but, he also challenges us to contemplate the true alternative to his choice: The complete annihilation of human life on earth. Featuring Kevin Costner with appearances by Walter Cronkite, Robert De Niro, Matt Damon, and Ashton Kutcher.