November 18–22, 2019: Sud de Sciences Science Film Festival (At the Heart of the Debate)
November 18–22, 2019, from 12:00 PM to 2:00 PM –
Charles Flahault Amphitheater, Institute of Botany
Free admission subject to availability
As part of Documentary Film Month, come discover the second edition of this science film festival, open to anyone with a curiosity for science
The "Sud de Sciences" festival is rooted in the region’s rich and diverse research landscape, which is reflected in the 6,000 researchers in Montpellier’s scientific community, with a significant concentration in the fields of agriculture, the environment, and health.
“Sud de Sciences” will give you the opportunity to watch exceptional films on current scientific topics, produced by research organizations based in Montpellier and the surrounding area, and to meet researchers after the screenings. You’ll have the chance to revisit last year’s award-winning film, followed by a selection of films on the theme of climate change, which is at the heart of today’s environmental challenges.
The “Sud de Sciences” festival is organized by the University of Montpellier, which, together with ISITE-MUSE, brings together researchers from the region to address three major challenges: Feed, Care, and Protect. It is organized in partnership with research organizations (CNRS, IRD, Inserm) and the Kimiyo association.
Program
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 18, FROM 12:00 PM TO 2:00 PM
AIDS: On the African Trail (2018 Science South Grand Jury Prize)
52 min, 2016, Rémi Lainé, BCI Beau comme une image, IRD,in collaboration with France Télévisions.
The AIDS virus had been present in humans long before it was identified in the West in the early 1980s. It was traced to the far southeast of Cameroon, following a single exchange of blood between a chimpanzee and a human. The film recounts how scientists discovered this astonishing and dramatic event.
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 19, FROM 12:00 PM TO 2:00 PM
Screening at 9:30 a.m. for middle school and high school groups
The Mystery of the Missing Giants
52 min, 2018, Éric Ellena, Paul-Aurélien Combre, French Connection Films/Les Productions Megafun/Ushuaia TV/CNRS Images.
At the end of the age of the dinosaurs, the Earth was inhabited by other gigantic animals: the Titanoboa, a 13-meter-long snake weighing as much as an SUV; the Megalodon, a shark as long as a bus; the Baluchitherium, a rhinoceros three stories tall; and the Megatherium, a ground sloth 200 times heavier than today’s sloths. In this film, the world’s leading experts explain how these four fantastic animals grew so large, the possible reasons for their extinction, and the threats facing the last giants of the natural world today.
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 20, FROM 12:00 PM TO 2:00 PM
Screening at 9:30 a.m. for high school groups
Between sea and land
54 min, 2016, Hervé Colombani, Jean-Jacques Guerard, CNRS Images, CNRS-INSU, BRGM.
The vulnerability of France’s mainland coastline has become particularly acute in recent years and raises major societal questions. Dozens of researchers from various organizations are working to understand the mechanisms governing the evolution of the coastline—a key territorial boundary—in order to find the most appropriate response to the complexity of these phenomena and their local characteristics.
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 21, FROM 12:00 PM TO 2:00 PM
Screening at 9:30 a.m. for middle school and high school groups
The Amazon: A Cloud Factory
52 min, 2014, Jean-Thomas Renaud, French Connection Films, Codex Now, Vosges Television, IRD, USHUAÏA TV, TV5 Monde, SBS TV Australia, TV Peru.
Wildlife photographer Cyril Ruoso and two science reporters are traveling across Peru from east to west, through three of the most extreme ecosystems on our planet. In this first episode of a three-part series, their journey takes them into the Amazon rainforest, home to many unique species, amidst breathtaking landscapes.
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 22, FROM 12:00 PM TO 2:00 PM
Screening at 9:30 a.m. for high school groups
The Secrets of Arctic Animals
49 min, 2016, Jérôme Bouvier, Marianne Cramer, Paprika Films, Wild-Touch Production, Andromède Océanologie, Arte France, CNRS Images.
Until now, Antarctica seemed to be sheltered from the vagaries of climate change. But worrying signs regarding biodiversity and the ice cycle are now emerging. Scientists gathered in Adélie Land are attempting to unravel the mysteries of how animals adapt to this inhospitable climate, assessing the threat that climate change poses to the fragile balance of life in Antarctica.
