Science Fair (film)

Science Fair
Theatrical release poster
Directed byCristina Costantini, Darren Foster
Written byJeffrey Plunkett, Darren Foster, Cristina Costantini
Produced byCristina Costantini, Darren Foster, Jeffrey Plunkett, Isaac Lee (EP), George Lansbury (EP), Keith Summa (EP)
Edited byTom Maroney, Alejandro Valdes-Rochin
Music byJeff Morrow
Production
companies
Univision
Muck Media
Distributed byNational Geographic Documentary Films
Release dates
  • January 20, 2018 (2018-01-20) (Sundance Film Festival)
  • October 19, 2018 (2018-10-19)
Running time
91 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Science Fair is a 2018 National Geographic[1] documentary film that premiered at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival, winning the first ever Festival Favorite Award.[2]

Synopsis

It covers the lives of 9 teenagers as they prepare for the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair. Characters followed in the film include Serena McCalla, Ph.D. the sole educator in the documentary, coined the "Godmother of Science Research", Kashfia Rahman, a student from South Dakota who did research on the effects of risk-taking behaviors in teenagers, Anjali Chadha, a student from Kentucky who designed a project to test for arsenic, Ivo Zell, a German student who designed a new method of airplane propulsion, and two Brazilian students who innovate a way to treat the Zika virus.[3]

Reception

Awards

Regarding the Festival Favorite Award, it was described as "so engaging and inspiring that we felt it would delight audiences and be a strong contender for this award"[2] by the director of the Sundance Film Festival, and as "an ode to the teenage science geeks on whom our future depends".[4] The movie also received the Festival Favorite award from the 2018 South by Southwest Film Festival[5] and the Best Documentary Award from the 2018 Portland International Film Festival.[6] It was nominated for an Emmy for Outstanding Science and Technology Documentary at the 40th News and Documentary Emmy Award.[7]

References

  1. ^ "Science Fair, a National Geographic Movie". National Geographic. Retrieved 2019-07-04.
  2. ^ a b "2018 Sundance Film Festivals: Science Fair Wins First-Ever Festival Favorite Award". www.sundance.org. January 31, 2018.
  3. ^ Bugbee, Teo (2018-09-13). "Review: In 'Science Fair,' High School Students Are World-Class Scholars". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2019-07-04.
  4. ^ Debruge, Peter (31 January 2018). "Film Review: 'Science Fair'".
  5. ^ "2018 SXSW Film Festival Announces Audience Awards Winners". SXSW. 2018-03-18. Retrieved 2019-07-04.
  6. ^ "41st Portland International Film Festival". NW Film Center. 2017-06-13. Retrieved 2019-07-04.
  7. ^ "Nominees for the 40th Annual News & Documentary Emmy Awards Announced". The Emmys. Retrieved 2019-08-10.