Science and film merge again in this year’s Science Film Festival and with it comes 29 films that capture science concepts in the most imaginative storytelling.
The Department of Science and Technology-Science Education Institute (DOST-SEI) is glad to lend a hand to Goethe Institut in bringing the annual Science Film Festival to the Philippines.
The festival, which is organized in the country for the eighth straight time, has been delighting audience since November 6 through an opening ceremony and film screening at the Imax Cinema of SM North Edsa. Students, educators, science professionals and film enthusiasts participated in the event.
Besides the screening of select science films, the audience took part in exciting games and hands-on experiments that are tied-up to the films and meant to enrich the viewing experience.
This year’s theme, “Anthropocene: Welcome to the Age of Humans,” is a timely take on human imprint on earth. The films explore mankind’s role in geological changes through topics, such as urbanization, mobility, nature, evolution, food and human-machine interaction.
In a message, DOST-SEI Director Dr. Josette Biyo said the DOST-SEI shares Goethe Institut’s vision of a science-attuned global community.
“We acknowledge the potential of using films in successfully communicating complex scientific concepts,” she added.
SEI, in fact, has its own science film competition and festival in Indie-Siyensya, which is now on its sophomore run.
Select films were screened on November 7 at the University of the Philippines Diliman College of Mass Communication Auditorium, and on November 20 at the National Biotech Week Celebration at Brentwood Suites in Quezon City.
The films will also reach students from various parts of the country through SEI’s Science Explorer. The Science Explorer is the country’s first and only mobile learning facility that caters especially to schools that have no science laboratory.
The 2017 Science Film Festival is celebrated in 23 countries all over Southeast Asia, Africa, South Asia and the Middle East.