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Science film festival returns to inspire kids
Annedroids tells the story of one boy, two girls and three androids
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Annedroids tells the story of one boy, two girls and three androids.(Goethe-Institut) (Goethe-Institut)
Annedroids tells the story of one boy, two girls and three androids. (Goethe-Institut)
The local branch of the Goethe-Institut German cultural center is bringing its annual Science Film Festival (SFF) to the archipelago for a fifth installment from Nov. 13 to 28.
The festival, which presents approachable and entertaining films about science and technology for audiences aged 9 to 14, is part of an international event held by the cultural center in nations throughout Southeast Asia, North Africa and the Middle East.
After attracting more than 40,000 people in 20 cities across Indonesia in 2013, the festival has returned with an even-more extensive schedule, with stops scheduled in 37 regions, including Aceh, Ambon, Balikpapan, Bandung, Bengkulu, Gresik, Jakarta, Jayapura, Madiun, Makassar, Malang, Mataram, Me-dan, Merauke, Pacitan, Pekanbaru, Salatiga, Sampang, Semarang, Sidoarjo, Surabaya, Tomohon, Waingapu and Yogyakarta.
In Indonesia, 15 short films will be screened in venues including schools, university campuses, and local cinemas, accompanied by various activities such as contests and demonstrations of scientific experiments connected to the movies.
The festival was opened by Culture and Elementary and Secondary Education Minister Anies Baswedan in Jakarta on Thursday.
'I have happened to follow this festival from its first installment in Indonesia. I see this as an opportunity for not only discovering but also answering the challenge as to how to turn films that we watch into inspiration,' Anies said in his opening speech.
He invited teachers and parents accompanying children to the screenings to learn and get inspired by science.
Heinrich Blömeke, director of Goethe-Institut Indonesia, said that he was very happy to see the festival progress. 'We are especially happy to be able to reach not only children on Java island's cities, but also those in the numerous island across the archipelago. It is always a challenge to cover the other islands.'
Verena Lehmkuhl, SFF Indonesia executive director, said that this year's theme was change and future technology.
'The international SFF board has pre-selected 30 films to be screened. Earlier this year, an Indonesian jury picked 15 for this year's program,' Lehmkuhl said.
Among the film in the Indonesia programs are The Show with the Mouse: Children Imagine the Future, a playful film by German producers where children imagine the future and what changes it could bring to us and to our world; 'Mengejar Mata Angin' (Chasing the Cardinal Direction), a film by Indonesian college students about an adventurer who has difficulty in finding his way when in the wilderness; Quarks, a UK-production about a trio of teenage pranksters who have super-powers and can alter the fundamental laws of physics; and Graphene: Sketches of Our Future, another short film from Germany exploring the carbon compound that is remarkably strong for its low weight and which conducts heat and electricity with great efficiency.
The SFF, initiated by the Goethe-Institut Thailand in 2005, reached more than 440,000 people in 11 countries in 2013.
With the addition of 17 more cities for SFF Indonesia in 2104, Lehmkuhl said that organizers were expecting to attract 60,000 in the audience.]
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For more information, visit sciencefilmfestival.org.
