As a young girl, Ellie Arroway would sit at her shortwave radio seeking other voices in the universe to answer her own. In college, her unanswered questions drove her to search for intelligent extraterrestrial messages. Despite scorn from the scientific community, Ellie maintains that the universe has more to offer. When a radio transmission comes from the distant star Vega, the planet Earth faces the news with equal parts hope and fear, as the message contains blueprints for a machine of intergalactic travel that could mean the dawn of an astounding new era — or certain Armageddon.

Jodie Foster stars with Matthew McConaughey and Tom Skerritt. The cast also features Angela Bassett, John Hurt and James Woods plus cameos by Bill Clinton and Larry King.

Introduced by Dr. Billy Cohn, the film is screened as part of a series that invites notable local celebrities to share a favorite film in Brown Auditorium Theater.