Founded in 2008 by scientists seeking to open new lines of communication between the arts and sciences, Imagine Science Films has grown to encompass festivals and events around the world. The Imagine Science Film Festival provides a unique forum for new ideas, interdisciplinary collaboration, and a continual challenge to preconceived notions of what a science film may be.
For the Reimagining Wildlife program, Imagine Science Films has hand-picked a set of favorite recent takes on natural world: cutting-edge views into invertebrate life straight out of the lab, surprising micro-organisms, stunning parasitic fungi, wolves observing their observers, and the poetic musings of frogs and parrots. As with all of our programs, there's no one right approach: here, fact and fiction, experiment and results all intercut in a lively conversation.
Submissions are now open for the 2019 Imagine Science Film Festival.
Nex
5 minutes, Directed by Michael Loithaler, Marlene Raml, and Philipp Buschauer, Austria
NEX is a hybrid symbiosis of computer-generated pictures and filmed material. The film is about the attack of a cordyceps fungus on a rhinoceros beetle and the following struggle between life and death, showing that even the tiniest things can have a great impact and that death is not merely the end, but can be the beginning of something new and beautiful.
Butterfly Wing Development in Vitro: Buckeye & Painted Lady
1 minute, Directed by Aaron Pomerantz & Nipam H. Patel, US
The beauty of metamorphosis is illustrated through the development of the hindwing of a buckeye butterfly, and both fore- and hindwing of a painted lady butterfly, imaged during the complete period of pupal development.
The Secret World of Moths
25 minutes, Directed by Hannes Vartiainen & Pekka Veikkolainen, Finland
Using 3D X-ray tomography we shed light on the moth’s hidden macrocosm and explore their way of life in an unprecedented way. Geographically, the film spans from the Arctic Circle to the Equator. Observing these two extreme environments helps us learn about and understand the diversity and complexity of their world and our fragile existence on planet Earth.
Nematodes
3 minutes, Directed by Peter Burr & Alexandra Grote, US
Some parasitic nematodes have an endosymbiotic relationship with the bacteria Wolbachia. In NEMATODES, we reconstruct this symbiotic relationship and break it down, finding ourselves at the model's writhing core.
The Great Silence
16 minutes, Directed by Allora and Calzadilla, US
Arecibo, the world’s largest radio telescope, is located in Esperanza, Puerto Rico, which is also home to a critically endangered species of parrots. The telescope functions as an ear that is capable of capturing signs of extraterrestrial intelligence. The witty messages from the parrots, however, remain unnoticed.
Wolves from Above
6 minutes, Directed by Demelza Kooij, Scotland
A meditation on a pack of quiet and elusive wolves filmed from above. The weight of their paws on the grass and some playful growls can be heard in this very still space. The tranquil silence draws the spectator in and allows the viewer to see the wolf in a whole new light.
Butte's Berkeley Pit: New Life Emerges from its Toxic Waters
4 minutes, Directed by Anna Sagatov, US
The Berkeley Pit, an abandoned pit mine flooded with highly toxic water in Butte, Montana, has transformed innocuous yeast and fungi growing in the waters into bizarre iterations of their previous forms. This evolution brings about questions of life’s ability to adapt to conditions never before encountered.
Squid: Coming to Life
7 minutes, Directed by Nipam Patel, US
Embryos of squids and cuttlefish, among the most enigmatic groups of marine creatures, rapidly develop into small versions of the adults and flash their chromatophores as young hatchlings.
Rhacophorus
6 minutes, Directed by Laura Verlinden, Belgium
A contemplative journey through nature and its various facets, guided by a mysterious being. The voyage encourages us to question our place in the universe and to reflect upon the elements that surround us.