Conveying science through the power of film

The films we are talking about are science films of the third International Science Film Festival in Thailand, which will be held from November 13-23.

The science films will encourage you to think about things around you. Which are smarter, dogs or cats? How can floods that are a disaster for human beings be life-giving events for others?

"We always hear 'Science is all around you'. It's just an abstract thought that we have never felt or understood. But films can encourage the words to be concrete. Science is not a thing in textbooks but real and provable," says Surin Phongsupasamit, president of the Institute for the Promotion of Teaching Science and Technology.

The festival is a method to convey science and technology in an entertaining way.

"The power of film - the reason we choose film as a medium for learning science - is that film can stimulate audiences' feeling to participate and also arouse the viewers' curiosity for learning. So they can absorb information and things we are giving easier," says Artjana Saurer, film programming and features editor of the Science Festival.

Nearly 100 science films from filmmakers over the World were submitted to join in the festival. There are 57 selected films from Thailand, Germany, France, Austria, Scotland, England, Canada, Japan, Australia, the Netherlands, Belgium and the European Union.

"In the first year we had only Thai, French and German films. Since last year it's been a truly international festival. This year some of the filmmakers have already been awarded in other international festivals," says Wilfried Eckstein, director of the Goethe-Institut Thailand.

Twenty-six films are nominated to compete in the festival. The six main awards are the Eco Film Prize for the film that best handles environmental issues, the most educational film for the film that communicates most clearly scientific ideas to a young audience, the Bayer Science Film Award for the film that most effectively informs about the human body and medicine, best achievement in visual effects for the film that demonstrates the most stunning cinematography or animation, best film for science popularisation for the film that most successfully uses science communication to reach the general public and the jury prize for the film that makes special impression on the jury members. The results of the competition will be announced on the closing ceremony on November 23. Each winner will get 500 euro.

This year, all films are Thai dubbed or subtitled.

About 15,000 people dropped in on last year's festival, held at three venues: the National Science Centre for Education, Ekamai; the National Science Museum at Pathum Thani's klong 5; and the Children's Discovery Museum at Chatuchak. The year Central World's TK Park joins the list of venues.

Thais have very few other chances to see such films because no broadcast outlets specialises in them.

"Almost wherever else you go you find there are science or family programmes in television prime time, but not in Thailand. So you shouldn't miss the festival," says Surin.

For a schedule of showings and other information see www.goethe.de/sciencefilmfestival.

Suwicha Chanitnun

The Nation