|
|
||
Free sample!
|
Producer Rod Freedman collects his Scinema Prix du Jury trophy for Crossing the Line. Credit: Kate Holdsworth/COSMOS The winners of SCINEMA 2006, the 6th International Festival of Science Film, were announced Sunday night at the Powerhouse Museum in Sydney. The 45 films from around the world competed for 15 trophies. The winners were selected by a jury of scientists, journalists and film-makers, chaired by Wilson da Silva, editor of the Australian popular science magazine, COSMOS, and joint winner (with Sally Browning) of the 2000 AFI Award for Best Documentary for The Diplomat. This year's theme was sustainability, and the films screened in 89 venues around Australia during National Science Week, August 12-20, to an audience of over 10,000. "We were particularly excited about bringing National Science Week - and the fascination of science our films explore - to some of the more regional locations, from Bunbury in Western Australia and Port Lincoln in South Australia to a screening under the stars on the jetty at Cardwell in North Queensland," said the festival's director, Cris Kennedy, a science communicator at CSIRO Land & Water in Canberra. National Science Week closed on Sunday 20 August. This year's event was the sixth SCINEMA Festival, growing from a small Canberra-based event in 2000. It's the first time the awards ceremony came to Sydney. "While our Festival celebrates science and the art of science filmmaking, the winning films all share a strong human element," added Kennedy. "Successful filmmakers are able to capture the human and emotional side of their subject, and films like Richard Smith's Catalyst episode Planet of the Rings captures the excitement and wonder of working in space exploration and shares it with the audience." "It is a testament to Australia's documentary filmmakers that so many Australian films entered and were so successful this year - eight of our winners were from Australia." In 2006, COSMOS magazine became a partner in SCINEMA and helped bring the awards ceremony to Sydney. Films were shown at the Powerhouse Museum and the University of Technology, Sydney over the 10 days of National Science Week. The jury consisted of Robyn Williams, Australia's most respected science journalist and broadcaster; Dr Bryan Gaensler, former Young Australian of the Year and University of Sydney physics professor; Dr Cornelia Hentzsch, managing director of pharmaceutical company Mundipharma; Joachim Putz, German film-maker and special festival guest; Ian Cuming, award-winning producer and director of The Future Eaters; and Dr Jonica Newby, an author and former veterinarian who is a reporter and producer on the weekly ABC TV science program, Catalyst. "The range of films was impressive: from stylish productions narrated by Hollywood actors like Matt Damon to professionally-produced and engaging stories made by university film departments," said jury chairman, Wilson da Silva. "The diversity was enormous: from the birth of the written word in Ukrainian, to following two young medical students in an Aboriginal community in the Arnhem Land; from creating Olympic athletes on the snowfields to unravelling the mysteries of a distant star in Flemish," he added. "It is refreshing and inspiring to see the personal stories of science and scientists told in so many different and innovative ways." THE WINNERS IN THE 15 CATEGORIES WERE: Grand Prix Prix du Jury Best Director Best Cinematography Best Documentary Best Short Film Best Student Film Best Narrative Film Best Experimental Film Best Science Television Best Children's Science Television Award for Scientific Merit Best Multimedia For more information, images or interviews contact: More information about SCINEMA, including how to enter your film for consideration in SCINEMA 2007. 
|
COSMOS newsletter!Receive regular updates highlighting the latest in science from COSMOS. Latest News |
