ASPEN FILM PRESENTS SCIENCE ON SCREEN®, A UNIQUE 3-PART FILM SERIES 

ASPEN, Colo. - Tuesday, November 21, 2023 - Aspen Film is proud to present Science on Screen®, a unique 3-part film series that allows audiences to experience the intersection of film and science on the big screen. As part of each screening event, expert guest speakers present on timely scientific topics such as Artificial Intelligence, Bionic Exoskeleton Technology, and Women in Science. Science on Screen is a nationwide initiative of the Coolidge Corner Theatre with major support from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. 

The series will be presented exclusively at the Aspen Film Isis Theatre in Aspen, with additional in-school enrichment opportunities available for local students and teachers. Tickets will be available to purchase at Aspenfilm.org beginning November 21.     

Aspen Films series partners include aiEDU, Aspen Center for Physics, Aspen Science Center, Bridging Bionics, The Isaacson School at Colorado Mountain College, and Mountain Chalet Aspen.

“I was so excited when I learned that the Coolidge/Sloan Foundation was offering this incredible program that celebrates the intersection of film and technology,” says Susan Wrubel, Aspen Film Executive + Artistic Director. “Presenting three innovative and entertaining films that celebrate scientific achievement while engaging with cutting-edge Aspen partners is a great local confluence of science and art.”

 

About Science on Screen®:

Science on Screen features classic, cult, and documentary films provocatively matched with presentations by experts who discuss scientific, technological, or medical issues raised by each film. The Coolidge/Sloan Foundation nationwide Science on Screen partnership seeks to inspire in theater-goers an increased appreciation for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics as compelling enterprises and vital elements of a broad understanding of human culture and current events.

Science on Screen was conceived and established in 2005 for Coolidge Corner Theatre audiences in greater Boston, boasting one of the nation’s largest populations of life and

physical scientists. In 2011, the Sloan Foundation partnered with the theatre to take Science on Screen nationwide and make it an integral part of its coast-to-coast film program.

 

Dates + Shows:

Part I: AI UNTETHERED

Wednesday, Dec. 06, 2023 | 6:30 p.m. | AF Isis Theatre

Feature: HER (2013) Director: Spike Jonze

Short: EL SOL COMO UN GRAN ANIMAL OSCURO (THE SUN LIKE A BIG DARK ANIMAL) (2015) Directors: Christina Felisgrau + Ronnie Rivera

Guest Speakers: Cristina Nowak, Chief Learning Officer at aiEDU, + Jessica Ann, Instructional Design Lead at aiEDU.

Topic: AI and the arts. Equitable learning and how to teach students to thrive in the age of artificial intelligence. 

As artificial intelligence continues to capture our collective imagination, it’s critical that we discuss the incredible and, perhaps, scary ways it can and will impact our lives. Our feature film, HER, paired with the short film, A SUN LIKE A BIG DARK ANIMAL, incorporates technology in ways that force us to re-examine our relationship with it as humans. We welcome Cristina Nowak and Jessica Ann from aiEDU, a non-profit that works with students and teachers to build AI literacy, as our guest presenters for the evening. They will discuss equitable learning and how to teach students to thrive in the age of artificial intelligence.

 

Part II: LIFE REIMAGINED

Wednesday, Jan. 10, 2024 | 6:30 p.m. | AF Isis Theatre

Feature: THE CRASH REEL (2013) Director: Lucy Walker

Short: TREVOR KENNISON – DAY ONE (2020) Director: Josh Berman

Guest Speakers: Amanda Boxtel, CEO of Bridging Bionics + Lucy Walker, Director of CRASH REEL

Topic: Bionic Exo-Skeleton Technology

In part II of the Science on Screen® series, feature documentary, THE CRASH REEL and short film, TREVOR KENNISON – DAY ONE, portray the frailties of our physical bodies and the ways loved ones, nature, and technology can help one to overcome a life-threatening injury and continue to lead a resilient life. Our guest Amanda Boxtel will talk with THE CRASH REEL director, Lucy Walker, about the exoskeleton technology that has allowed her to walk again after a skiing accident that resulted in a spinal cord injury. Boxtel founded Bridging Bionics with a mission to help individuals with neurological mobility impairments regain mobility and walk again.

 

Part III: WOMEN IN THE EQUATION

Mar. 26th, 2024 | 6:30 p.m.

*National Evening of Science on Screen

Feature: HIDDEN FIGURES (2016) Director: Theodore Melfi

Short: GIRLS WHO CODE (2022) Directors: Aspen Film Camp

Guest Speaker: Aspen Center for Physics guest lecturer (To Be Announced)

Topic: Women in science, math, and technology, then and now. 

Human computers, civil rights, space travel– March is Women’s History Month, and what better way to celebrate women in the history of science than to watch Theodore Melfi’s Academy Award®-nominated film, HIDDEN FIGURES. Learn about the challenges and opportunities for girls and women in STEM, then and now. The short film for part III is GIRLS WHO CODE, created by Aspen Film summer filmmaking camp participants. Part III of the series coincides with the National Evening of Science on Screen, where grantee theaters simultaneously host Science on Screen events, creating a coast-to-coast offering of thought-provoking programs that pair film screenings with explorations of science, technology, and medicine. 

 

ABOUT ASPEN FILM:

Established in 1979, Aspen Film is one of Colorado's most active film arts organizations, presenting dynamic programs and featured guest artists throughout the year. Internationally recognized, Aspen Film organizes a major film event in every season, along with an extensive education program: Aspen Filmfest (fall 2024), Academy Screenings (December 19-23, 2023), Aspen Shortsfest (April 1-7, 2024), Summer of Cinema, and FilmEducates. With a mission to enlighten, enrich, educate and entertain through film, Aspen Film stimulates thought, encourages dialogue, and broadens our understanding of our world and selves through the diverse spectrum of ideas presented by filmmakers worldwide. Aspen Shortsfest was voted one of the ‘top 25 Coolest Film Festivals in the World in 2022’ by Moviemaker Magazine. To learn more, visit aspenfilm.org.

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