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. Cash Prize: $2,000 for the winner.

Winner: Holgut (Dir: Liesbeth De Ceulaer)
presented by Warner Media | One Fifty
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The Siberian permafrost is melting, ancient bones rise up from the ground and wild animals seem to have disappeared. Holgut is a contemporary tale based on historical, mythological and current stories.

Honorable Mention: We Are As Gods (Dir: Jason Sussman & David Alvarado)
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Facing the twin environmental crises of mass extinction and climate change, counterculture legend Stewart Brand proposes a potential pandora's box for conservation: using biotechnology to resurrect extinct species like the wooly mammoth.

Honorable Mention: The Mushroom Speaks (Dir: Marion Neumann)
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What if the fungi could help us address and radically change our relationship to this world?

Shorts in competition that provide a realistic and human depiction of a scientist or science on screen - presented by Nautilus magazine.

Winner: 80,000 years old (80 000 ans) (Dir. Christelle Lheureux)
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It's summer in Normandy. Celine spends a weekend in her childhood home during a digging site work. Her archaeological research are mixed up with more or less probable reunions during her walks.

Shorts in competition that offer bold singular storytelling with hybrid aesthetics and narrative - presented by Labocine.

Winner: Swallow the Universe (Dir: Nieto)
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The grandiloquent blood-and-thunder saga of a young child lost in Manchuria's deep jungles. His sudden presence creates complete anarchy in the fauna's primitive world, which was until-then perfectly organized.

Honorable Mention: Under Control (Dir: Ville Koskinen)
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Under Control shows human action from the insect's level. The botanical garden is an artificial nature-like installation where each room has its own microclimate. Despite human attempts to control the environment, pests are spreading and eating the plants all over the garden.

Honorable Mention: A Little Stone Worth Gold (Dir: Alizé Arnal, Virginie Texier, Ludovic Plisson, Quentin Greiner)
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Little stone is a mineral necessary for the manufacture of electronic devices. An epic story that begins in the mines of Congo, goes through the assembly factories in China, lands in the hands of consumers, and ends up in electronic waste dumps in Ghana.

This is the 8th edition of the Symbiosis competition. This year, Symbiosis 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 "Resistance." Winner Cash Prize : $1,500

To learn more about Symbiosis, how to apply for next year, key dates and awards, visit the Symbiosis page.

Winner: i invite you - by Arianna Zuanazzi (scientist) & Yashaswini Raghunandan (filmmaker)

I invite you is a sensory journey that illustrates the challenges that the brain faces in our everyday conversations, where the linguistic signal is often unclear, disrupted or obstructed.

Honorable Mention: When Monsters Walked the Earth - by Isabelle Carbonell (filmmaker), Jaime Jover (scientist) & Duane Peterson III (editor)
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Through the collective memory of a 250 million year old species which has survived two mass extinctions, structures of exploitation, industrial monoculture, and interspecies relations are reframed through the plantationocene.

Learn more about the participants of Symbiosis 2021
Check out the six 2021 Symbiosis films on Labocine.
For past Symbiosis Films, watch them on the Labocine Symbiosis Playlist.