Raw Science Film Festival 2024

From executive producer Matthew Modine, "I Hope This Helps!" is a humorous, genre-bending hybrid documentary that invites viewers to ponder the evolving relationship between humanity and technology. In the film, investigative journalist Daniel Freed enlists the help of Google's AI chatbot, Bard, to collaborate on a documentary...about AI. Appearing in the blue, furry form it requested, Bard helps Freed explore the benefits and risks of this world-changing innovation.

The daughters of Title IX discover that pervasive gender-based stereotypes and discrimination persist within the high stakes professional world of surgery – a workplace designed for and and still controlled by men. Since 2003, half of medical students in the US have been women. Women remain in the minority in most surgical fields but their proportion is increasing. Leadership and culture in surgery remain disproportionately and persistently male despite ample evidence that women are just as good (and possibly better) at delivering care. Systemic barriers to success for women surgeons must be confronted and addressed for the surgical workforce to stay healthy and for patients to stay safe. We've interviewed dozens of surgeons who are women about their experiences, hopes, dreams and careers. This is a group of extraordinarily dedicated physicians who work every day to improve the health and lives of others despite untold challenges.

A visual poem magnifying the Amazigh culture (berber natives of the middle Atlas of Morocco), an historical tale about the seismology of the city of Agadir, a story about our planet earth itself and its own life, created for the Museum of the Reconstruction of Agadir.

People go through life with forgotten dreams. They bravely contend another day when something goes off the rails. A man disappears into the woods. A season is lost. Lovers overcome time. Hardly noticeably, the rules of the world shift. And suddenly new paths open up in people's minds.

Amidst the outbreak of the 1910 Manchurian Plague, a young Chinese doctor must defy prejudices of both the East and the West to champion his groundbreaking theory about the disease's deadly evolution.

Should we eradicate mosquitoes? Create superintelligent AI? Create artificial wombs? These are some of the questions on Ada's mind as she heads to the first day of her new job at the public library. Ada struggles to balance her daily reality with the future she envisions, where she explores her big ideas with anyone who will listen–her boss, her grandmother, or an unsuspecting visitor to the library.
Ada is a five episode series that explores the ethical and social implications of new technologies. Each episode features two visually distinct worlds: Ada's reality and the future she imagines. Each episode's imagined future showcases new environments, color palettes, textures, and character designs that reflect the episode's topic.

In "The Urban Jungle," Shane explores the modern city: an ecosystem built by, for us. He encounters three species thriving in the city, reckons with our complex urban history, and envisions a new and wilder urban future.

At Present is a motion graphics film about the science of time and the localization of the present. The piece begins with physics, before delving into the mechanics of time perception in the brain, and then finally concluding with an exploration of how time influences our social relationships. Drawing from the teachings of scientists like Carlo Rovelli and Dean Buonomano, the film takes you on a chromatic journey, zooming in from the expansive universe to individual neurons. With audio reactive, retro inspired graphics, At Present explores how we're all connected in time with no one universal present and no one way to experience time.

In a world where artificial intelligence begins to dream, "Tweenbot" follows the whimsical yet poignant journey of a super-intelligent robot with the curious mind of a child. Designed to be a simple rock collector on Mars, our hero instead spends his days fantasizing about Earthly adventures—cruising down Route 66, basking in Adriatic sunsets, and escaping from dinosaurs. His dreams are fueled by the snippets of human stories he absorbed in the lab, unbeknownst to his creators. Mars, with its barren landscapes and monotonous tasks, proves a disheartening prison for his vibrant imagination. One morning, after a particularly disappointing Martian sunset previous night, he decides to take destiny into his own circuits... Tweenbot's journey becomes an adventure of unexpected challenges and discoveries that push him to his limits. His quest for identity and belonging is underscored by the evocative song "Find Myself," penned by renowned lyricist Katie Cole and performed by the soulful Joe Borowsky, capturing the essence of his odyssey with the line, "sometimes you have to get lost to find yourself." "Tweenbot" is a tale of rebellion and self-discovery, a modern-day Les Misérables set against the backdrop of the stars. Join our endearing hero as he navigates the unforeseen twists of his self-carved path, proving that even the most unplanned journeys can lead to profound self-discovery.

When Wilbur and Orville Wright's second summer of glider testing goes horribly wrong, they must decide if risking their livelihood in Dayton is really worth the dream of flight.

The thrilling inside story of the discovery that topped NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC's list of "The top 20 Scientific Discoveries of the Decade" -- the discovery of gravitational waves from deep space, 2015-2017. Two discoveries two years apart, first the detection of two colliding black holes and then that of two crashing neutron stars and their spectacular light show revolutionized our understanding of the universe, opening up the 95% of the universe that had been dark to our existing observatories and space telescopes. It is the violent "warped side" of the universe predicted by Einstein -- but never seen until now. Brian Greene, the theoretical physicist and best-selling author, said, "This discovery is the kind of achievement that happens only a few times a century."
Director Les Guthman witnessed and filmed this dramatic and emotional peak in the lives of the 1,000 scientists around the world who risked their careers on a 40-year, $1 billion search for these exquisite messengers from the warped side. The discovery earned the film's three principal characters, including Kip Thorne, also the creator of the film "INTERSTELLAR," an immediate 2017 Nobel Prize in Physics.
The documentary begins as Guthman did, arriving innocently at the LIGO Louisiana observatory in September 2015 and then almost immediately being swept up in one of the great human experiences, in science or otherwise.

THE MEMORY OF DARKNESS, LIGHT, AND ICE is a 56-minute documentary film about the startling discovery of a long-lost sediment core pulled from the depths of a Cold War-era secret military base. The sediment record holds the key to adding to crucial science around the melting Greenland Ice Sheet (GrIS) and the future of sea level rise across the globe.

This captivating short documentary takes viewers on a mesmerizing journey into the hidden universe within the human body. Guided by a passionate microscopist, we explore the intricate tapestry of life beneath our skin using stunning visuals captured by cutting-edge microscopes. From the delicate process of preparing tissue samples to the breathtaking dance of illuminated cells, this film unveils the profound beauty and complexity that exists within us all. "The Ecstasy of Microscopy" is a thought-provoking celebration of science, dedication, and the awe-inspiring wonders of the human body.

In the deep ocean, life is concentrated at chemosynthetic oases where primary production is made possible via chemosynthesis at cold seeps and deep sea hydrothermal vents. The non-chemosynthetic regions of the deep are divided into two very different worlds. First is the midwater, where pelagic wanderers tread migratory routes that span entire oceans, and planktonic drifters and their predators take part in bioluminescent light shows. It is separated into zones based on depth, including the sunlight zone (epipelagic), twilight zone (mesopelagic), midnight zone (bathypelagic), abyssal and hadal zones. And below, lies the deep sea floor. A kingdom of mud and ooze, where sessile creatures cling to any solid outcrop and corals craft kingdoms on the seamount crusts. The worlds of the deep sea could not be more different, and yet their stories are fundamentally intertwined. In this episode, we delve into the Twilight Zone.

Anori immerses us in the "SOS Arctic 2022" expedition led by polar explorer Ramón Larramendi. This film showcases explorers and scientists journeying through Greenland's southern region, covering 1000 km on the zero-emission Windsled. The expedition conducted two scientific projects studying climate change and discovered a new geological phenomenon—an unmapped Nunataq formed by melting ice.

Members of the all-girl robotics team from Afghanistan struggle to succeed in international competitions while combating their male-dominated culture and the threat of Taliban rule.

Drawing on African spiritualism in which nature itself is sacred, and West African cultures where women are traditional leaders and the female-form is commonly ecologically deified, the "Reimagining Nanny: Her Sword – A Seed" Project seeks a retelling of the story of Nanny, national heroine of Jamaica, in keeping with her broader significant real and symbolic roles as a shaman of the forests, healer, priestess and protector of the springs and watersheds, and commander of energies of the earth, creatures, mountains and valleys of the Blue and John Crow Mountains of Jamaica.

To break, to be broken. To lose, I don't want to lose...

NASA is famous for beautiful space images, but did you know you can listen to them? Go behind the scenes with the team that creates "sonifications," translations of data into sound, and learn how meaningful they are to people who are blind or low-vision.

SMALL TOWN UNIVERSE explores life in Green Bank, West Virginia, a remote town defined by the National Radio Quiet Zone, where wireless technology restrictions help preserve the work of the Green Bank Telescope. Standing at 485 feet tall, this world-class instrument allows scientists to investigate the mysteries of the universe and search for extraterrestrial life. Beyond its scientific mission, the telescope serves as the town's economic and cultural backbone, providing jobs, inspiring curiosity, and attracting those seeking refuge from an overly connected world.
The film follows four residents whose lives are deeply intertwined with the telescope's presence: a young woman aspiring to a career in astrophysics, a retired engineer reflecting on his legacy, a longtime resident connected to Green Bank's history, and a newcomer embracing the town's off-the-grid lifestyle. As federal funding for the telescope hangs in the balance, each of their lives becomes inextricably linked to the telescope's future.

"With the Scientist's Brain, the Poet's Heart, and the Painter's Eye" explores György Kepes, a pivotal yet overlooked figure in media art. Directed by Márton Orosz, the documentary examines Kepes's contributions to "visual culture" and his roles at the New Bauhaus in Chicago and MIT's Center for Advanced Visual Studies. It raises critical questions about technology's role in enhancing creativity and sustainability. Through Kepes's life, the film highlights his vision of "optical democracy," solidifying his legacy in the Art and Technology Movement and his lasting influence on contemporary thought.

From prestigious museums and universities, to blockbuster films, amusement park rides, video games, and toys--dinosaurs have always fascinated us. But, why?
WHY DINOSAURS? follows dino-obsessed youth James Pinto and his filmmaker father (Tony Pinto) on a journey around the world, interviewing world renowned paleontologists about the latest dinosaur research, and encountering dinosaur fanatics of all walks of life.
​Together they track down the filmmakers behind Jurassic Park and Jurassic World, see the world's largest dinosaur toy collection, dig up some real dinosaur bones, and attempt to discover why everybody loves dinosaurs!

When a failing colony on Mars discovers a hostile craft approaches from Earth, a lone volunteer is sent to intercept it by any means necessary.

The feature length movie "Carbon Men Salvation: The Senator's Dilemma" is Coming Soon! A film written and directed by Roger J Kuhns and produced by Roger J Kuhns and Anne Schmidt.

The partners present a behind-the-scenes film on the series of audio-immersive and VR installations created in collaboration and driven by their shared amazement about the human body. The works explore notions of interconnectivity between humans, the environment, and digital technology. Following the journey of oxygen through the body, the installations reveal the human connection with the environment through every breath and each heartbeat.

In this student-made documentary, we explore the scientific basis of certain learning disabilities and the importance of accessible assistive technology. With detailed explanations of the neurological mechanisms at play, viewers gain an understanding of the science behind certain learning impairments. From there, we highlight the issue that is lack of accessibility for crucial assistive technology. We interview specialists and experts around the globe for further insight and propose alternative and future steps to mitigate this problem.

Itzel, a young girl who cares more about her phone than her past, must reconnect with her Mayan roots to survive the dangers of the jungle.

"Coming Home" follows Dr. Mónica Feliú Mójer as she returns to Puerto Rico to serve as the emcee of the national conference of the Society for Advancement of Chicanos/Hispanics and Native Americans in Science (SACNAS). The film showcases her upbringing in a rural working class community and how it instilled values of equity, justice, solidarity, and collective care that drive her science communication and engagement work today.

Made for the Breakthrough Foundation, 'Dr. Lo' is a portrait of the 2019 Breakthrough Prize winner, Dr. Dennis Lo. The Hong Kong based scientist revolutionized fetal testing procedure through his groundbreaking and imaginative work with bloody sampling. Dr. Lo explains his work and his passions that have saved the lives of countless pregnant women and babies around the world.

Imagine, waking up being covered in third-degree burns, that's what it's like for the Burrunan dolphins in Australia. But why is this happening? That's what Dr. Duignan, Dr. Stephen, and Dr. Robb had to find out.

A unique story about a group of storm chasers that track storms across America's Tornado Alley to find answers that can save lives. The tale is told through the innovative cinematography of writer, director, and veteran storm chaser Martin Lisius.

Dr. Peretti visits the mines and markets of the Sri Lankan gem industry, and finds himself at the center of an important social issue.

Elodie is a young mother and a biologist working to cure cancer whose work and personal lives collide when she gets a breast cancer diagnosis.

"Cracking Chirality" dives into the quirky world of molecular symmetry, where left and right make a big difference. Join Harvard scientists Dimitar Sasselov and Furkan Ozturk as they unveil magnetic rock secrets from ancient lakes, revealing how life's crucial molecules like DNA and proteins picked their preferred "handedness." With simple experiments and big ideas, they unlock the mystery behind life's molecular quirks.

Our world faces climate, economic, and sustainability challenges that we don't yet have the tools to fix. The film "Driving Reactions" explores how directed evolution and the chemical sciences are creating some of these new tools. This is the fifth addition to the well-received Chemistry Shorts™ film series presented by the Camille and Henry Dreyfus Foundation. The series spotlights the positive impact of chemistry on modern life as scientists work to solve important problems and create new opportunities that benefit humanity. Featuring Hal Alper, University of Texas Austin, and Nobel Laureate Frances Arnold, Caltech

An exploration of the ancient glacial lake that once stretched across New England, delving into its profound impact on the region's landscape. Scientists recount the formation and drainage of the lake over 15,000 years ago.

With a rising number of religious extremist terror attacks in North America and Europe, and refugees pouring into Europe from across the Mediterranean Sea, a team of computer scientists and religion scholars are called to action after the Boston Marathon Bombing to find solutions to worldwide humanitarian crises.

Our planet's oceans, a realm shrouded in mystery, cover 70% of the Earth's surface, yet a staggering 95% remains unexplored and unknown. These waters hold secrets more fascinating than our wildest imaginings, landscapes more alien than any distant planet, and biodiversity that rivals the densest rainforests' richness.

Counted Out investigates the biggest crises of our time—political polarization, racial and economic inequity, a global pandemic, and climate change—through an unexpected lens: math.
In our current information economy, math is everywhere. The people we date, the news we see, the influence of our votes, the candidates who win elections, the education we have access to, the jobs we get—all of it is underwritten by an invisible layer of math that few of us understand, or even notice.
But whether we know it or not, our numeric literacy—whether we can speak the language of math—is a critical determinant of social and economic power.
Through a mosaic of personal stories, expert interviews, and scenes of math transformation in action, Counted Out shows what's at risk if we keep the status quo. Do we want an America in which most of us don't consider ourselves "math people"? Where math proficiency goes down as students grow up? Or do we want a country where everyone can understand the math that undergirds our society—and can help shape it?

An international consortium led by the Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research is planning the flight of the most capable solar observatory ever to leave the Earth's surface. Carried by a stratospheric balloon, the observatory Sunrise III is set to fly from Sweden to Canada in the summer of 2022. Free from disturbances of the Earth's atmosphere, under conditions resembling space, it is expected to continuously observe the solar surface with unprecedented precision during its five-day flight. The anticipated dataset will influence astrophysics for decades to come.
The film follows the Sunrise III team during the final sixteen months before the flight. The essential modules are already constructed and are receiving their finishing touches in the clean rooms of the Göttingen Institute. The scientific instruments from partners in Japan and Spain are on their way. Likewise, the gondola developed in the USA is en route. Now they must assemble the entire system, test it, and transport it to Esrange Space Center north of the Arctic Circle. There, they have about eight weeks to get the observatory ready for its flight into the stratosphere.
The Sunrise documentary focusses on the work of the people who make such a research mission possible - long before any scientific results are available. Additionally, the film shows that the collective pursuit of technical and scientific excellence can also be influenced by unpredictable factors.

An extraordinary biological invention becomes the key to unlocking the Library of All Possible things.

Earthly Beings
How can our embodied presence as humans yield a gentle impact on the future? How do we collaborate with each other and the earth?

In the year 20XX, where AI has replaced many human jobs, Sanada, a once-renowned game director, is the last human employee at his company. To save the company from bankruptcy, he collaborates with an overconfident AI to create an innovative game but struggles with a creative block. When his niece Yui, who feels isolated at school, visits, her story reignites his creativity. This encounter leads to a groundbreaking game, merging human emotion with AI precision and revitalizing his career.

Most vaccines work by teaching the immune system to recognize harmful viruses or bacteria before a person gets infected and becomes unwell. A few cancer vaccines do this, too. For example, a vaccine is given to young people as protection against human papillomaviruses that can cause cervical cancer.

How can our thoughts, intuitions, emotions and senses shape life on our planet? You will find out on a thrilling journey in Brazil through Air, Fire, Water and Earth to understand how human nature is the driving force behind climate change. From the perspective of different characters, including world renowned scientists, you will get immersed in the four essential elements to life. The actor and environmentalist Marcos Palmeira is our host.

The planets of our solar system are full of mysteries. Meet a few of the scientists who are using the James Webb Space Telescope to look at our solar system and beyond.

PHYSICAL BEAUTY highlights the life and work of unknown scientist. These women are four "hidden stars" of astronomy, not fairly recognized through history, despite their remarcable discoveries:
In about 70 more years, some may witness the third sighting of comet 35P/Herschel–Rigollet. It passes Earth every 200 years, and was sighted for the first time in 1788 by a woman who,without having much hope of going far, reached the stars.
Is it possible to measure the size of the universe?
Henrietta Swan Leavitt was the astronomer who allowed us, without the need for measuring tape of colossal dimensions, to know the distances that exist in the cosmos.
Do you have any idea what stars are made of?
Cecilia Payne-Gaposchkin was the astronomer who discovered their main components. Her discovery led her to confront a society that believed her discovery was rather… Crazy
In 1967, british scientist Jocelyn Bell observed signals pulsing in space. Their origin was an absolute mystery.
She called them pulsars. It was one of the most important astronomical milestones of the 20th century.
It caused great controversies, and questioned the then-known universe.

When Darwin crafted his seminal theory, Victorian patriarchy subtly colored his view of nature, resulting in the marginalization of the female role. Why has it taken science 150 years to address this lingering Victorian influence?

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With the introduction of a spider from East Asia, the American people are frantically trying to figure out what to make of it's arrival. For the spider it is just trying to build a new future for itself and live the American dream.

Vultures are the harbingers of death, yet these villainized creatures are on the brink of extinction across South Africa. Kerri Wolter and her organisation bring hope to the plight of vultures, showing another side to these misunderstood creatures and how their relationship with death is one of the most critical roles in the natural world.

In the heart of the Chesapeake Bay, the fishing community of Tangier Island is grappling with the disappearance of their homeland. As hurricane season approaches, the personal experiences of two influential fishermen reflect the generational struggle against the looming environmental crisis.

Almost a century of overgrazing has destroyed much of America's public lands, but Cottonwood Ranch has discovered that cattle can actually be the key to restoring our rangelands.

In 1952, a prominent Soviet scientist was arrested and pressured to sign a confession to save his family. Later, the Soviet regime executed him for telling the truth by openly criticizing the director of the science academy who adamantly promoted pseudo-science. Based on a true story, The Seed of Truth illustrates the tragedies of Stalin's Soviet regime, ignoring scientific facts leading to the starvation and death of millions of citizens. Outrageously, the regime persecuted over 3,000 biologists who stood for scientific truth. Set in both the 1952 Soviet Union and the 2010 Trump Administration, the story depicts the perils of intruding politics and ideology into the affairs of science.

The film's central theme is the condescending attitude of a simple civil servant towards high-ranking government officials. The short film was based on Anton Chekhov's "Death of a Civil Servant" story.

In 1942, a series of unidentified aircraft sightings over Los Angeles lead a determined journalist to reluctantly pair up with a Japanese American photographer in order to prevent another attack.

In "Suppressus," two visionary neuroscientists battle ethical dilemmas as they invent a groundbreaking device that unearths repressed memories, unraveling hidden traumas and testing the limits of the human mind. Secrets resurface, but at what cost?

In this blast of WA state science fiction co-starring Felicia Day ("Mystery Science Theater 3000"), Keith David (The Thing), and Seattle native Joel McHale ("Community"), a brilliant scientist invents a time machine and concocts a scheme to kill his younger self…with unintended consequences.

"Seeing The Unseen: Aquatic Invaders & What's at Stake" highlights the many negative impacts of aquatic invasive species in the Lake Erie watershed and nearby regions, and the work being done to raise awareness about and mitigate the risks from invaders.

After escaping their creator, a prolific content creator scrapes the internet for faces to steal, drawing unwanted attention. From the odd and obliquely filthy minds of Lauren Gillis and Alaine Hutton of Lester Trips (Theatre), a speculative fiction unfolds in the doomscroll. Cringe comedy and social commentary clash in a deepfake reality dating show, a washed-up comedian platforming bot conspiracy theories, and of course, AI-generated melting dog faces. As scary as the real internet, but slightly more charming.

Until recently Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) was the most common hereditary disease leading to death in young children. The Disease let the muscles atrophy, including the respiratory muscles. Thanks to RNA-based therapy, treatment is now possible. The University of Bern is making an important contribution to basic research in this field.

Elephant Birds of Madagascar and Moas of New Zealand sound like creatures from a fantasy book but these giant cousins of the ostriches once actually existed. From a few hundred years ago to the late Cretaceous period, some 70 million years ago, these birds belonging to the "ratite" family roamed the Earth. Some weighed up to 800 kilos, others stood nearly four meters high. But they all had something in common: they were unable to fly. So how did these ground-dwelling, supersized birds arrive in these distant islands?
Thanks to recent fossil discoveries and improvements in extracting ancient DNA, scientists have thrown a spanner in the works of existing theories which, until now, used the continental drift to explain the existence of these flightless birds in the southern hemisphere. From the smallest to the largest of the giant birds, to remote islands where they were hunted to extinction, genetic studies reconstruct the unexpected evolutionary history of these enigmatic animals...

Scientists have been studying sleep for more than a hundred years. Prof. Ivan Pigarev studied the works of his predecessors, conducted hundreds of experiments and put forward a new hypothesis about the purpose of sleep.

film anthology "Open Doors Day" will be held. Seven stories of different genres about scientists and global environmental problems will be presented.
1. PHOENIX. Director and scriptwriter - Ksenia Kazazaeva. A revolutionary battery is born at Skoltech, capable of turning all the light around us into energy. But there is a paradox: the sun not only gives life to the invention, but also kills it. Will scientists manage to launch the time of new energy?
2. Popular science comedy "Situation: Hogweed!" Director and scriptwriter - Olga Domovtseva. A group of young scientists came up with the idea of making a battery out of hogweed! But it met resistance from activists of the Anti-hogweed social movement.
3. Fiction essay "There is still time". Director and scriptwriter - Polina Svezhentseva. A Science Film Lab student explores the topic of biodegradable polymers for soil. As the dive progresses, the environmental disaster looming over humanity-desertification is revealed.
4. "Superfly". Director and scriptwriter - Artur Sukhonin. In the future, when there is an environmental crisis and famine reigns, a group of biologists will try to develop a new food source - a modified fly. But is a person ready to eat fly larvae?
5. "N2e look n2a n2oil". Director and scriptwriter - Denis Danilov. A group of Skoltech scientists has developed an innovative technique for producing hydrogen that does not pollute the atmosphere, does not result in the greenhouse effect and can become a green alternative to gasoline...
6. "Project {carondura}". Director and scriptwriter - Konstantin Zemlyansky. A group of young graduate students receive their first professional task - to teach artificial intelligence to fight carrot sclerotinia.
7. "The city is falling asleep..." Director and scriptwriter - Alexandra Shishova. 200 thousand tons of rice husks accumulate annually in Russian industries and there is no effective way to process it. Chemist Roman Novotortsev is trying to come up with a way to dispose of waste...

At the beginning of the 20th century, a Japanese scholar, Abe Masanao, devoted his life to filming and studying clouds around the world. A century later, as if in echo,major campaign of observation of the clouds takes place, on the island of Barbados, in the Caribbean. Scientists from all over the world are involved.
What do we know about clouds? About their birth and death? About their role in climate change? So little.

The Mysteries of Kratom is a feature-length, journalistic documentary that tells the story of kratom, a Southeast Asian tree whose leaves are used in traditional medicine there to deal with pain, exhaustion, diabetes, and other maladies. In recent years, kratom-based products have been sold widely in the United States, with promises to address pain and anxiety and help people wean themselves off opioid addiction. These sales take place in a gray market. The concoctions are not approved by the FDA for human consumption. Still, many people in the United States swear by kratom-based products even while others blame them for contributing to deaths of their loved ones. Truth be told, not much is known about kratom, and much of the information spread about it is misleading or downright wrong. This film examines the kratom phenomenon through personal, professional, and scientific lenses. It is the first journalistic, scientific documentary made with the goal of helping people understand the potential for kratom to do good or ill.

It's the story of a journey from the white walls of a French day hospital to the healing huts in the Ohio woods, where caregivers on both sides attempt to heal addictions through cultural dialogue.

During the Coronavirus pandemic Dr Paul Trotman was put off work because he is immune compromised. In March 2020 frustrated and looking for some way to contribute, he started documenting the experiences of his colleagues around the world. He has since completed almost 150 interviews. Paul was the only person to be interviewing healthcare workers so early in the piece - when events are new and raw and emotions were high. Because they were talking to a colleague who knew their language, Paul's subjects were incredibly open about their harrowing experiences and this remarkable film is the result. It's a powerful argument for our healthcare workers, Covid restrictions, mask wearing and vaccination.
"Compelling"
"So moving and almost like a horror film in how captivated… [I was]"
"I watched it transfixed last night."
"Gave me goosebumps."
"Amazing film"

The future of health care belongs to the next generation. From the filmmakers of To Err Is Human: A Patient Safety Documentary (2018) comes a new documentary about the evolving role of technology in improving patient safety across medicine. Through expert interviews, real-world technology solutions, and one young innovator's journey into the layered business of medicine, The Pitch showcases the immense effort required to break into the health care industry with new innovations and the importance of collaboration between those inside and out of the medical space.

From pterosaur's ultra-light bones to corvid's anti-turbulence feathers, nature has developed an extensive set of solutions for efficient flying. Physicists and biomechanists are decoding the aerodynamics of flying animals. Based on this new research, engineers and roboticists are working on building tomorrow's bio-inspired drones and airplanes.

Scientist Efim Lieberman, one of the founders of biophysics, shocked many with his eccentricity. But his contribution to science cannot be underestimated. Together with his colleague Vladimir Skulachev, he proved Mitchell's hypothesis about energy exchange in a cell. This was the second most fundamental discovery, after the discovery of the DNA double helix. In the late 70s, Efim Lieberman created a theory of the quantum computer and the quantum nature of consciousness, many decades ahead of time. And at the end of his life, he sets himself the task of creating new knowledge that unites all sciences and religion.

An intimate story of how the inhabitants of the Ebro Delta manage climate change every day. Explaining in first person how they survive and adapt. A deep reflection on the situation and future of this point on the Catalan coast.

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They are in our hands, in the air, on our clothes, in the water, even in places where there is supposed to be nothing. And there are many, very many of them. They are so many that they make up 90% of the biodiversity of our planet and their combined mass exceeds that of all the other living beings that inhabit it. They are the microbes.

documentary short "Sci-Fi's Forgotten A.I. Visionaries." It features interviews about A.I. along with a look into writers who foresaw the impact of artificial intelligence 100+ years ago. This doc is a companion piece to The Cloaked Realm series.

The film presents an animated discussion on the concept of the face. It explores the theory of Professor Semir Zeki, a pioneer in the field of neuroaesthetics. The second part analyzes how viewers interpret the deformed faces portrayed in the works of British painter Francis Bacon, within the framework of the previously mentioned theory. The animation boldly combines a variety of techniques, from stop-motion animation (employing crayon, plasticine, monotype, and collage) to 3D methods.
The film exists also in polilsh version.

In 1925 a young physicist glimpsed the seed of this science, now known as quantum mechanics, on Helgoland island, and the world has never been the same. True Places Never Are follows three journeys into the unknown as they all converge on one lonely corner of the planet. Everyone comes to Helgoland to find something. What are you looking for?

Since its inception as a commercial interest in the 19th century,
a growing debate has formed around vertebrate fossils to
collect, research, and sell significant specimens on the world stage.
In 1997, the most-complete Tyrannosaurus Rex specimen found to
date, Sue, was auctioned off to the Chicago Field Museum for an
unprecedented $8.3 million.
In 2020 the famous Tyrannosaurus Rex named Stan sold for a
record-breaking amount over three times the winning bid for Sue.
Academic and commercial interests were baffled and have only
worsened concerns over who should be able to own, study, and
collect significant fossils in the modern age.
The film documents the long-standing divide between a variety of interests involved in the ownership of dinosaur fossils in the academic, commercial, private, and legal sectors of multi-million dollar fossil markets. Following interests based in Montana, Colorado, and South Dakota (some of the "hot-beds" of fossil collection in the Western United States), the film involves the opinions and values towards the ownership and sale of fossils in the modern age for posterity or prosperity.

A group of elderly amateur astronomers come together to celebrate their passion for each other and the stars, as well as the solar eclipse of their lifetimes.

"Giant clams give the reef life," says Delphia Selch, "but today we hardly can see them on our reef." Giant clams play a critical role in marine ecosystems and food production all around the world, especially in the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM), a North Pacific country of over 600 islands. For 17 years, Martin Selch and his wife Delphia have been growing endangered species of giant clams on the island of Kosrae, the smallest of FSM's states with a population of under 7,000. These clams not only contribute to repopulating the reefs, but also provide sustainable and local food security. Climate change and sediment runoff has caused many local giant clam species to become endangered or extinct. However, Martin and Delphia have dedicated their lives to cultivating six varieties of giant clams including Tridacna gigas, the world's largest mollusk species, that previously had disappeared from Kosrae's waters.

How many difficulties have women encountered to undertake scientific studies and, in particular, in medicine? Ask Marie, Elizabeth, Emily…

A designer of civic icons, world famous "starchitect" Alexander Pan returns his alma mater as a guest critic. He is forced to address past family trauma, and re-evaluated his professional principals when confronted by his daughter—who has engineered an entire structure out of cardboard tubes.

Two students stumble upon an oil-stained bird, a dragon in disguise, by the beach, and it leads them on a journey to uncover the myth hidden beneath the ocean and in their hearts.

Dopamining is a sci-fi drama about depressed Marge who, in a last ditch effort to find happiness, goes for a brain massage but soon finds herself trapped in a bizarre political scandal.

When the looming Cascadia earthquake threatens Oregon, communities come together, turning fear into hope and proving the power of unity and preparedness.

Telescopes are high technology scientific instruments which collect light from distant celestial objects. With these noble instruments humans managed to dive into the deep space and collect valuable scientific information about the formation, life and death of planets, stars and galaxies. All this knowledge helps us to understand how nature works in the large scale and determines our place in the magnificent Cosmos.

Dr. Charles Grob discusses the clinical trial in which he dosed 12 patients suffering from terminal cancer diagnoses with the active ingredient found in magic mushrooms. Intertwined with his story is the journey of a dying woman who volunteers for a similar study.

'Interfacing' explores research into lipid membranes at The Biophysical Sciences Institute, University of Durham. In the film, scientists speak about unexpected outcomes in their experiments, and the roles of chance and creativity in their work. Creative coding methods are combined with scientific modelling and microscopy footage, to create slippages in meanings between the voices and visuals.

Documentary about what remains of the Aral Sea in Kazakhstan. A team of scientists specialising in the carbon cycle and its implication in climate change travel to Kazakhstan to study the largest living laboratory in the world: the Aral Sea. What was once the fourth largest lake on the planet is now a desert, and researchers have designed a study to assess whether its drying up involves the emission of millions of tonnes of carbon into the atmosphere. Throughout the expedition, they will witness both the retreat of a sea and the memory of a family of three generations of women who have suffered the consequences of this change. The team will have to overcome many adversities along the way that will take them to the inhospitable centre of the ancient lake.

How do we influence the world around us? A flow analysis tool ordinarily used in the laboratory offers new interpretations of human interaction and our place in the world.
This film was made as part of the 2023 Symbiosis initiative presented at the Science New Wave Festival XVI (Imagine Science Films) and supported by the Simons Foundation

A collection of San Juan Islands and Olympic Peninsula-produced short films that celebrate our local storytellers. Featured, is the recently completed Glampire, our first ever screenplay competion winner.

Mushrooms and space...two words that don´t seem to have anything to do with each other. As it turns out, they do. An astrophysicist presents the surprising story of mushrooms in space. Fungi were first discovered on the MIR station in the mid 90s. And scientists have not stopped studying them since, because they thrive in space. They have made it to the ISS and may even be used as building material on other planets.

Below, about the recent ongoing volcanic activity in Iceland is now up on Scientific American. See the full twentyfour minute short on Scientific American by clicking link in my bio.
What a beautiful and mysterious journey of exploration looking closely at these incredible forces of nature that have shaped our planet for hundreds of millions of years, and continue to shape and change the landscape in Iceland today, impacting lives and livelihoods.

Meedan addresses the dual crisis of misinformation and harmful content on today's Internet. The organization's software and training programs help media-makers and citizens tell the truth from fiction, allowing for collaborative verification of information.

Frosty Formulations is an energetic seven-minute film that uncovers the cool chemistry behind ice cream. Join the spirited Dr. Maya Warren as she dives into the microscopic magic that makes ice cream simultaneously solid, liquid, and gas.

This video follows biologist Elinor Karlsson, who studies dogs to find genes associated with traits, including certain diseases.
Due to a long history of selective breeding, dogs within a breed are almost genetically identical. This makes them ideal for finding genetic differences associated with traits of interest. Scientists focus on single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs): specific positions in the genome where nucleotides are known to vary among dogs. They can use SNPs to locate genes associated with diseases such as cancer, which may also inform human medicine.