What is hinge proteins, gravitational waves and amino acids all have in common? They all become improbable protagonists in six short films codirigated by filmmakers and scientists from the Flatteron Institute of the Simons Foundation for two weeks of whirlwind. The films are Now available to broadcast.
The films were created as part of the symbiosis program last May. The model of twinning symbiosis of scientists with filmmakers was initially developed by Alexis Gambis, founder of LabocinA research and streaming platform that houses “New Wave Science”, a movement reinventing science through cinema. In recent years, the competition has been presented as the “Main Event” of the closing evening of the Film Festival Science Imagine-Science.
This year’s symbiosis program is a component of the Simons Foundation Researcher’s commitment program, an initiative of foundations Science, Society and Culture division. Researchers’ commitment is an official means of connecting members of the scientific community of the Foundation to public engagement opportunities. This year, the symbiosis has been redesigned and modified for scientists from the Flatiron Institute interested in exploring new collaborative ways to explore some of the big questions at the center of their research. The program was extended by one to two weeks, but the essence remained the same: six scientists were twinned with six filmmakers and responsible for creating short films and which push limits.
Scientific-Filmaker duets have turned out through New York, turning in metro stations, public parks and apartments inside. Some films turn to the stars and beyond, while others turned to the interior towards the proteins of our cells and the emotional connections that shape us. Each film was made in the spirit of co-creation. The process of creating films – experts in apparently disparate disciplines exploring what connects them – was as important as end products.
The program started with a mixer where filmmakers and scientists met and explored potential shared interests. The official pairs were then announced, and a two -week production sprint began, quickly from the development of the concept to filming and publishing. An intermediate laboratory session allowed teams to share updates and receive comments, while the organizers have adopted a practical approach, encouraging each duo to trace their own creative direction.
The six films were created on Monday, May 19 at a closed counters in Firehouse Monday, May 19: DCTV’s Cinema for Documentary Film in Tribeca. Films are now available to broadcast here. You can find a link to five of the films, as well as brief descriptions and credits below.
Over the next few weeks, we will highlight each of these films and the filmmakers / scientists on our website and social media.
Beyond 20
Beyond 20 is a poetic science test film exploring the natural border between the built environment of New York and the challenges of molecular engineering. Turned mainly on Super 8, the film superimposes a nostalgic texture with speculation, imagining a world beyond 20 canonical amino acids. In superimposed between hitchhiking animation, cyanotypes and digital rendering, the film explores the keys to shape the molecules with a goal. The film reflects curiosity, the limits and what is just beyond the edges of the conception of nature.
Vikram MulliganScientific researcher, IT Biology Center, Flatiron Institute, Simons Foundation
John Marty, filmmaker
Did you know that space can sing?
In an office in New York, Carrie Filion makes the galaxies sing. Using the sonification, it builds an audible representation of our universe, adding a new dimension to the way we perceive space.
Carrie FilionFlatiron Research Fellow, Center for Computational Astrophysics, Flatiron Institute, Simons Foundation
Em Oliver, filmmaker
How to connect two bodies
Through the principles of hinge protein design, How to connect two bodies is an experimental documentary exploring the invisible choreography in significant connections of objects at different scales.
Bargen TurzoFlatiron Research Fellow, Center for Computational Biology, Flatiron Institute, Simons Foundation
Grace Zhang, writer, director, producer, publisher
Molecular
Molecular Take life in the dynamic world of microtubules, the structural filaments of the cell which assemble and disassemble in a rhythm that scientists call dynamic instability. It is an exploration through the lens of microscopy and molecular simulations with a poetic visual narration. The film invites viewers to see how beauty emerges from instability and the order of dances with chaos even in the smallest scale of living.
Mahsa MofidiFlatiron Research Fellow, Center for Computational Biology, Flatiron Institute, Simons Foundation
Anne Sofie Nørskov, filmmaker, video editor
Who cares about gravitational waves?
In the universe, two black holes break and send waves in space-time. The waves that we cannot feel, cannot touch and are difficult to predict. So who cares? Lieke van is walking in the streets of Manhattan to reveal the ways in which these gravitational waves are already part of your daily life.
Lieke van SonFlatiron Research Fellow, Center for Computational Astrophysics, Flatiron Institute, Simons Foundation
Kyle Finnegan, documentary filmmaker, creative director