The 13th Annual Imagine Science Film Festival
Awards & Special Mentions
Awards & Special Mentions
This year, the lineup included over 25 features and 50 shorts from 40 countries. It has never been more important to communicate science in a compelling and accurate manner. Every year, our categories are not based on form but rather on principles of singularity, riveting narrative storytelling and bold audiovisual aesthetics. In each category, we have fiction, documentary, animation and hybrids of all sorts.
Below are the winners and special mentions of the 13th Annual Imagine Science Film Festival. Congratulations to all filmmakers who have been selected this year as well! We are indebted to our team, partners and jury for making this edition happen despite the current situation in the world.
You can still watch most festival titles with the REPLAY Pass on Labocine till Sunday, October 25 by midnight EST.
Below are the winners and special mentions of the 13th Annual Imagine Science Film Festival. Congratulations to all filmmakers who have been selected this year as well! We are indebted to our team, partners and jury for making this edition happen despite the current situation in the world.
You can still watch most festival titles with the REPLAY Pass on Labocine till Sunday, October 25 by midnight EST.
Air Conditioner (Dir: Fradique)
SCIENCE NEW WAVE AWARD
SCIENCE NEW WAVE AWARD
— Science New Wave Award
Features in competition that propose bold, singular and oftentimes hybrid ways to communicate science. These films are considered to be visionary and outside of the (science) box.
Winner: Air Conditioner (Dir: Fradique)
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When the air-conditioners in the city of Luanda mysteriously began to fall, Matacedo (security guard) and Zezinha (maid) embarked on a mission to retrieve the boss's AC by the end of the day. This mission leads them to Kota Mino's electrical supply store, which is secretly assembling a complex memory retrieval machine.
Honorable Mention: The Colony (Dir: Anna Lindemann)
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THE COLONY is a story about sisterhood and the evolution of communication in two of the most social creatures on earth: humans and ants.
Winner: Air Conditioner (Dir: Fradique)
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When the air-conditioners in the city of Luanda mysteriously began to fall, Matacedo (security guard) and Zezinha (maid) embarked on a mission to retrieve the boss's AC by the end of the day. This mission leads them to Kota Mino's electrical supply store, which is secretly assembling a complex memory retrieval machine.
Honorable Mention: The Colony (Dir: Anna Lindemann)
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THE COLONY is a story about sisterhood and the evolution of communication in two of the most social creatures on earth: humans and ants.
The Great Green Wall (Dir: Jared Scott)
SPOTLIGHT AWARD
SPOTLIGHT AWARD
— Spotlight Award
Features in competition that are timely, not shying away from controversial topics while providing a well-balanced state-of-matters related to scientific issues and crises.
Winner: The Great Green Wall (Dir: Jared Scott)
NOT AVAILABLE FOR VIEWING
Malian musician Inna Modja take us on an epic journey along Africa's Great Green Wall — an ambitious vision to grow an 8,000km wall of trees stretching across the entire continent to fight back against runaway climate change, increasing conflict and mass migration.
Honorable Mention: Picture A Scientist (Dir: Sharon Shattuck & Ian Cheney)
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In PICTURE A SCIENTIST, three leading women scientists overcome brutal harassment, institutional discrimination, and years of subtle slights to revolutionize the culture of science.
Winner: The Great Green Wall (Dir: Jared Scott)
NOT AVAILABLE FOR VIEWING
Malian musician Inna Modja take us on an epic journey along Africa's Great Green Wall — an ambitious vision to grow an 8,000km wall of trees stretching across the entire continent to fight back against runaway climate change, increasing conflict and mass migration.
Honorable Mention: Picture A Scientist (Dir: Sharon Shattuck & Ian Cheney)
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In PICTURE A SCIENTIST, three leading women scientists overcome brutal harassment, institutional discrimination, and years of subtle slights to revolutionize the culture of science.
Fat Kathy (Dir: Julia Pelka)
IN VIVO AWARD
IN VIVO AWARD
— In Vivo Award
Shorts in competition that provide a realistic and human depiction of a scientist or science on screen
Winner: Fat Kathy (Dir: Julia Pelka)
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In the city water pump there are 8 clams. The lives of millions of people depend on them.
Honorable Mention: Nitrate (Dir: Yousra Benziane)
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When the fireworks inflame the memory of a war survival.
Honorable Mention: The Eclipse that Revolutionized Physics (Dir: Renata Druck & Bruno Horowicz)
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May 29th, 2019, celebrated 100 years of the eclipse observed from Sobral, in the interior of Ceará, which was the first experimental proof of the Theory of General Relativity, proposed four years before by German physicist Albert Einstein.
Winner: Fat Kathy (Dir: Julia Pelka)
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In the city water pump there are 8 clams. The lives of millions of people depend on them.
Honorable Mention: Nitrate (Dir: Yousra Benziane)
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When the fireworks inflame the memory of a war survival.
Honorable Mention: The Eclipse that Revolutionized Physics (Dir: Renata Druck & Bruno Horowicz)
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May 29th, 2019, celebrated 100 years of the eclipse observed from Sobral, in the interior of Ceará, which was the first experimental proof of the Theory of General Relativity, proposed four years before by German physicist Albert Einstein.
In Vitro (Dir: Larissa Sansour & Søren Lind)
THEME-SENSITIVE AWARD
THEME-SENSITIVE AWARD
— Theme-Sensitive Award
Shorts in competition that embrace in a compelling visual and narrative manner this year's theme of Migration. Award presented by Nautilus magazine.
Winner: In Vitro (Dir: Larissa Sansour & Søren Lind)
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In Vitro is set in the aftermath of an eco-disaster. An abandoned nuclear reactor under the biblical town of Bethlehem has been converted into an enormous orchard. Using heirloom seeds collected in the final days before the apocalypse, a group of scientists are preparing to replant the soil above.
Winner: In Vitro (Dir: Larissa Sansour & Søren Lind)
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In Vitro is set in the aftermath of an eco-disaster. An abandoned nuclear reactor under the biblical town of Bethlehem has been converted into an enormous orchard. Using heirloom seeds collected in the final days before the apocalypse, a group of scientists are preparing to replant the soil above.
FREYA (Dir: Camille Hollett-French)
AVANT-GARDE AWARD
AVANT-GARDE AWARD
— Avant-Garde Award
Shorts in competition that offer bold singular storytelling with hybrid aesthetics and narrative.
Winner: FREYA (Dir: Camille Hollett-French)
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Set in the not-too-distant future, FREYA will make you second guess your relationship with technology, social media, and The State.
Winner: FREYA (Dir: Camille Hollett-French)
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Set in the not-too-distant future, FREYA will make you second guess your relationship with technology, social media, and The State.
Obscura (Dir: Hannah Jordan & Emily Jordan)
JURY SPECIAL MENTION
JURY SPECIAL MENTION
— Jury Special Mention
A special mention for the jury for its unique take on the workings of a camera and its creative questioning of how we "really" see the world.
Obscura (Dir: Hannah Jordan & Emily Jordan)
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Have you ever wondered how pictures are made? Obscura looks inside our camera to the creatures within, living lives defined by what they see through the lens.
Obscura (Dir: Hannah Jordan & Emily Jordan)
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Have you ever wondered how pictures are made? Obscura looks inside our camera to the creatures within, living lives defined by what they see through the lens.
Fathomless by Meilín M. Fernández García & Melissa Ferrari
SYMBIOSIS 2020 SCIENCE SANDBOX AWARD
SYMBIOSIS 2020 SCIENCE SANDBOX AWARD
— Symbiois Competition 2020
This is the 7th edition of the Symbiosis competition. This year, it brought together six scientists and six filmmakers to create a science-inspired short film over the course of one week and inspired by the theme "Crisis Through the Lens of Migration." To learn more about Symbiosis, how to apply for next year, key dates and awards, visit the Symbiosis page.
Winner: Fathomless - by Meilín M. Fernández García (scientist) & Melissa Ferrari (filmmaker)
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Fathom, a unit to measure depth. A medical-science trajectory toward understanding the deep complexity of distorted minds and the perception of the ones who suffer it.
Check out the six 2020 Symbiosis films on Labocine.
For past Symbiosis Films, watch them on the Labocine Symbiosis Playlist.
Winner: Fathomless - by Meilín M. Fernández García (scientist) & Melissa Ferrari (filmmaker)
❂ Watch on Labocine | REPLAY PASS
Fathom, a unit to measure depth. A medical-science trajectory toward understanding the deep complexity of distorted minds and the perception of the ones who suffer it.
Check out the six 2020 Symbiosis films on Labocine.
For past Symbiosis Films, watch them on the Labocine Symbiosis Playlist.
AEON SPECIAL MENTIONS
Special mentions given by AEON.
Priypat Piano (Dir: Eliška Cílková)
AEON SPECIAL MENTION
AEON SPECIAL MENTION
— AEON Special mentions
Standout short non-fiction films in this year's program from Aeon.
Consideration for future inclusion on Aeon Video or Psyche Film.
Priypat Piano (Dir: Eliška Cílková)
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After Chernobyl tragedy, fifty thousand people were forced to leave their hometown Pripyat. Thirty years after the disaster, most of the things from Pripyat is stolen or wasted. One of the few things which has left are pianos, as they were too heavy to move away. Who would believe they are still able to play?
Lichen (Dir: Lisa Jackson)
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This stunning otherworldly short film takes a deep dive into lichen, a species that confounds scientists to this day.
The Whelming Sea (Dir: Sean Hanley)
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Three animal lives entangle at the edge of the sea. Horseshoe crabs spawn on eroded urban beaches, migrating shorebirds seek sustenance at a midpoint, and humans attempt to make a difference in this age of mass extinction.
Consideration for future inclusion on Aeon Video or Psyche Film.
Priypat Piano (Dir: Eliška Cílková)
❂ Watch on Labocine | REPLAY PASS
After Chernobyl tragedy, fifty thousand people were forced to leave their hometown Pripyat. Thirty years after the disaster, most of the things from Pripyat is stolen or wasted. One of the few things which has left are pianos, as they were too heavy to move away. Who would believe they are still able to play?
Lichen (Dir: Lisa Jackson)
❂ Watch on Labocine | REPLAY PASS
This stunning otherworldly short film takes a deep dive into lichen, a species that confounds scientists to this day.
The Whelming Sea (Dir: Sean Hanley)
❂ Watch on Labocine | REPLAY PASS
Three animal lives entangle at the edge of the sea. Horseshoe crabs spawn on eroded urban beaches, migrating shorebirds seek sustenance at a midpoint, and humans attempt to make a difference in this age of mass extinction.
LABOCINE SPECIAL MENTIONS
Special mentions decided by
the Labocine team
the Labocine team
Phases of Matter (Dir: Deniz Tortum)
LABOCINE SPECIAL MENTION
LABOCINE SPECIAL MENTION
— Labocine Special mentions
Labocine celebrates all the films of this year's festival but would like to highlight a few films that stood out. Filmmakers will receive a one-year free membership to the streaming platform. In the coming months, Labocine will also be writing Spotlight profiles about their films and bodies of work.
Phases of Matter (Dir: Deniz Tortum)
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Set in Istanbul's venerable Cerrahpaşa Hospital, PHASES OF MATTER follows living and inanimate residents of this teaching hospital, moving from the operating room to the morgue, between life and other states, the real and the virtual.
Coded Bias (Dir: Shalini Kantaya)
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Modern society sits at the intersection of two crucial questions: What does it mean when artificial intelligence (AI) increasingly governs our liberties? And what are the consequences for the people Al is biased against?
Phases of Matter (Dir: Deniz Tortum)
❂ Watch on Labocine | REPLAY PASS
Set in Istanbul's venerable Cerrahpaşa Hospital, PHASES OF MATTER follows living and inanimate residents of this teaching hospital, moving from the operating room to the morgue, between life and other states, the real and the virtual.
Coded Bias (Dir: Shalini Kantaya)
❂ Watch on Labocine | REPLAY PASS
Modern society sits at the intersection of two crucial questions: What does it mean when artificial intelligence (AI) increasingly governs our liberties? And what are the consequences for the people Al is biased against?
