The popular science cinema, a genre, which has been in crisis both in Russia and abroad can experience a revival, thanks to bright pictures, like the one presented at the “II popular science films festival 360°”, which winners were chosen on October 17.
The viewers were still watching the last showings of the program, participating in the “Big Audience” special viewer’s award (named after the famous historical “Big Auditorium”) of the Moscow Polytechnic Museum, when the jury had already decided, what scientific documentaries took the main professional prizes.
And the winners are: the “Substance” and the “Project Nimb”.
Irina Belykh, the program director and and Viktor Kosakovsky, one of the most famous in Russia documentary films directors announced the winners. Kosakovsky, who already chaired many juries, has vast experience and his judgments worth a lot:
“Festivals differ not by quantities of films, there are plenty of them, but the jury quite often doesn’t even watch them to the end. Or even doesn’t award anybody. But this time I watched everything to the end, there were no weak movies at all, it’s an astonishing success!” Viktor Kodsakovsky, documentaries director, member of the European Film Academy
“Festivals differ not by quantities of films, there are plenty of them, but the jury quite often doesn’t even watch them to the end. Or even doesn’t award anybody. But this time I watched everything to the end, there were no weak movies at all, it’s an astonishing success!”
Viktor Kodsakovsky, documentaries director, member of the European Film Academy
He explained, why awards are being assigned to movies like the “Project Nimb”:
“This film, directed by James Marsh, was awarded, as it was made from his heart, from science, it’s a sensitive film, appealing to our emotions, and there an intrigue in it,” he said.T
The director of the Skolkovo Open University (OpUS) and the Festival’s so- organizer Andrew Yegorov said that he was a member of the selection committee. The films selection process started in the summer. The Skolkovo foundation has pledged and organizational and financial support to the festival. Among other co-organizers are the Moscow Polytechnical Museum. Oleg Genisaretsky, chairman of the OpUS Board of experts, had also played a big role in film selection process.
The “Time Freak” was named as the best short documentary film, and as Ilya Helert-Rozanov, editor—in-chief of the “24Techno” channel said, “the film fully matched our tastes for its hipster-like view at the science.”
In 2012 the visitors of the “Festival 360°” saw 31 pictures, played in 5 festival programs. The Moscow Polytechnical Museum served as the main theater, films were also played in “Fitil”, “Fakel”, “Khudozhestvenny”, “Multimedia Arts Museum”, as well as in several leading technological high schools of Moscow.