SciArt Magazine - All Issues February 2016 | Page 24

SPACES & PLACES

Imagine Science Films

By Megan Guerber
Contributor

There’s something about a darkened theater that allows
you to forget your inhibitions and dive into the screen
brightly lit before you. Sound envelops your tiny frame
as the immense story unfolds on the gigantic screen
before your eyes. Whether the plot is straightforward or
abstract, with every passing frame you absorb information to later digest through conversation and reflection.
While we all love going to the movies for different reasons, a unifying pleasure of getting lost in someone else’s
world connects us. Through film, we are able to experience other people’s stories at a deeply personal level.
Imagine Science Films (ISF), a New York–based nonprofit that uses film to transform how the public learns
about science, understands the power of storytelling and
the moving image. While the bulk of their work centers
on organizing renowned science film festivals in New
York, Abu Dhabi, and soon Paris, ISF also works with

24

Image courtesy of Imagine Science Films.

filmmakers to help scientists rethink how to communicate about their work.
Founded in 2008 by Alexis Gambis, a scientist, filmmaker, and educator of French–Venezuelen descent, ISF
firmly believes in the integration of art and science. By
focusing on interdisciplinary bridges, the organization
appears to constantly rethink how to get people engaged
in scientific thinking. For this reason, every iteration
of the Imagine Science Film Festival (ISFF) contains a
wealth of diverse programming accompanied by Q&A’s,
workshops, sci–art exhibitions, and pan [\