Gustav Holst (1874-1934) is a famous British composer, best known for his orchestral suite ‘The Planets’ which has gone on to inspire many classical composers in modern day, including the likes of John Williams. Each movement of the suite is named after a planet of the Solar System and its supposed astrological character, intended to convey the different 'personalities' of the planets.

‘Transit of Venus’ tells the story of a young Holst, who witnessed the rare astronomical event of Venus visibly passing across the Sun twice in his early childhood. A transit of Venus occurs every 243 years, in a repeating pattern of two transits eight years apart, followed by a gap of 121.5 or 105.5 years. So, for Holst to see these events take place is very rare and must have been special at a young age.

We imagine that the buzz, the news, and the actual event of the Transit of Venus would have been an inspiring moment in his early life, sparking his interest in the cosmos and planting the seeds of inspiration that would later result in his great life achievements with The Planets suite.

Our movie is about telling this story, from the planets in space, to Holst on Earth, and through the cosmos of his mind, sparking the ideas that would later inspire many.