A Film Festival Devoted To Science

Alexis Gambis was a geneticist studying the genome sequences of fruit flies when he decided to make a documentary film about his passion. This experience eventually led him to become a director of a film festival dedicated to scientific subjects and explorations. Four years ago, he founded the Imagine Science Film Festival which returns this week to the American Museum of the Moving Image in Queens, New York and other venues. This year’s festival features 80 movies from 15 countries. A jury of film and scientific experts has been assembled to evaluate both the scientific accuracy and filmic acumen of the films on tap. The program includes a mix of documentaries and information programs, as well as a smattering of fiction features that have some kind of science connection. The Festival opened last Friday with the local premiere of MR. NOBODY, a sci-fi fantasy film set in the future by Belgian director Jaco Van Dormael, with star Jared Leto playing the world’s last living human being. The film delves into the potent themes of aging, immortality and the eternal vastness of space. The Festival, which runs through Friday of this week, is also presenting a night of films from Mexico; avant-garde films by Imagine Science’s artists in residence; and a free screening of the 1980s film FLATLINERS, followed by a discussion on the science of death, with film director Joel Schumacher and medical scientists in attendance. For more information on the full program, visit: www.imaginesciencefilms.com

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