The Dish 2001

On July 20, 1969, six hundred million people sat glued to their televisions for man's first steps on the moon. It is an image permanently ingrained in our collective consciousness, but one that almost didn't make it to the airwaves. Based on true-life events, The Dish is a waggish homage to the small-town heroes responsible for a historically almost calamitous blunder. Outside the small, sleepy town of Parkes, a team of laid-back astro-technicians led by project director Cliff Buxton and NASA agent Al Burnett ready the Southern Hemisphere's largest satellite dish to transmit the historic broadcast. But amidst a swirling media frenzy and overly effusive civic pride, things start to go awry; the team has lost the signal and must scramble to find the astronauts before NASA discovers their grievous error.. And you thought Sydney 2000 was the first time we showed the world!