InScience 2020: Films you must watch

Das Forum (2019) by director Marcus Vetter is one of the interesting films that we will screen this year. This documentary offers a unique look behind the scenes of the World Economic Forum.  81-year-old founder and economist Klaus Schwab is followed in his mission to improve the world through dialogue. Never before in the Forum’s 50-year history has an independent camera crew had access to this massive conference. Researcher Noëlla Aerts, poet and columnist Qader Shafiq and HAN lecturer Frans de Vijlder conclude the film with a discussion. Especially in a turbulent economic year such as 2020, such a forum is more important than ever. Now that the WEF cannot take place this year, this may be your only chance to experience it “up close”.

Tension Structures (2019) by directors Adrian Duncan and Feargal Ward is our second must-watch tip. An international journey takes an engineer past several unique structures from the recent and distant past, which miraculously seem to remain standing. In this way he learns more about the complex, mathematical methods that are required to ensure that these ambitious constructions don’t collapse. In a poetic way he makes connections between the tension forces in the buildings and society: a visual treat which undoubtedly results in a new appreciation for these buildings. Director Adrian Duncan closes the film with a discussion. A subject like this – architecture as a reflection of a shaky society – may well be a hit in a year like this.

Henry Glassie: Field Work (2019) by director Pat Collins is a great third candidate. This beautiful folkloric art documentary shows hypnotic images of the execution of traditional crafts such as pottery and woodworking. American anthropologist Henry Glassie, who has studied different folk cultures in this way for the past 50 years, travels around the world in which impressive folk arts translate into the life stories of authentic peoples.

Hunting for Hedonia (2019) by director Pernille Rose Gronkjaer is a beautiful documentary that tells the story of Robert Heath, one of the most renowned neurologists in the world. However, his methods proved too controversial and ended his reputation. Decades later, with psychological problems such as depression and anxiety disorders becoming more common, scientists are re-examining the possibilities of deep brain stimulation. Neurologist Rianne Esselink, surgeon Saman Vinke and researcher and assistant professor Pim Haselager conclude the film with a discussion.

Who would have thought that a virus that is only microscopically visible could have messed up our lives? It has become painfully clear to us this year that the size of something doesn’t betray its impact. In our (online) film block Big Stories Behind Small Matters, five short films are screened in which we, together with scientists, look at small life forms or elements that – despite their size – can have enormous value. Whether insects, lichen, jellyfish, naked mole rats or elementary particles: their true greatness is really felt in these films.