Trailer: https://vimeo.com/1053870100
Directed by Ian Cheney for the Wonder Collaborative
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Film Background: At the height of the pandemic, many scientists were concerned about how their work had become so divisive and how public trust in science had eroded. At the same time, many admitted that the very things that first drew them to science—the joy of discovery, the awe of understanding the world, the endless curiosity—had been overshadowed by the pressures of grants and career demands. With that in mind, the producers wanted to make a film that speaks to this moment and honors science in a way that reconnects it to the broader human experience?
They set out to celebrate an activity essential to both research and humanity itself: observation. The goal was not to lecture but to invite dialogue, to honor scientific inquiry without demanding that there is only one path to knowledge. In short, this is an experiment, in science filmmaking at some level, but more generally in creating community around the instincts that guide us all. And that’s why Observer does not end with the final credits. Part of the experiment is finding new ways to take it out into the world to learn from all of those willing to share their powers of observation.
The film screening will be followed by a brief, guided group activity in which viewers become the Observers.
