5 August 2004
SCINEMA 04 features a special guest appearance from Canadian multimedia artist Peter McLeish who has researched red sprites — or lightning that travels up instead of down. The free festival also looks back at the best Australian children's science TV from the past 40 years.
SCINEMA is run by the National Museum of Australia and CSIRO and has been held in Canberra during National Science Week since 2000.
This year screenings are scheduled for centres including Sydney, Parkes, Wollongong, Bathurst, Narrabri, Melbourne, Bendigo, Shepparton, Adelaide, Darwin, Alice Springs, Bundaberg, Toowoomba, Mackay, Hobart, Burnie, Perth, Albany and Kalgoorlie.
SCINEMA kicks off at the National Museum of Australia in Canberra next Saturday, 7 August with Kids Science on the Box - featuring the Curiosity Show, Professor Julius Sumner Miller's Why Is It So?, Earthwatch, Totally Wild and the new Backyard Science.
The international film program includes Designer Vaginas, a UK documentary on innovations in cosmetic surgery; Big Girls Don't Cry, on renal failure in remote Australian communities; the Secret Lives of Butterflies from Canada; and the Belgian Nose for Danger, which looks at rats being trained to sniff out dangerous landmines.
Entries in the National Student Short Science Film Competition will also be shown in Canberra and Hobart, with audience voters set to determine the winners.
SCINEMA screenings in each centre are being held between 6-25 August, concurrent with Science Week (14-22 August).
"SCINEMA helps make the world of science more accessible to everyone," says festival director Cris Kennedy. "The festival is a great opportunity to showcase past and present Australian film successes, alongside films from across the globe."
SCINEMA is being held in the SAS Visions Theatre at the National Museum from 1-3pm on 7-8 and 14-15 August and 7-9pm from 9-13 August. CSIRO's Discovery Centre will host a second week of Canberra screenings from 16-20 August. Admission is free.
For more SCINEMA details, venues and films visit:http://www.csiro.au/scinema
For more information please contact Cris Kennedy, CSIRO, 02 6246 5850, 0410 627 614 or Leanda Coleman, National Museum, 0438 620 710.