This year we had 56 entries to our film festival across both the science fact and fiction categories. Our team of student volunteers watched and commented on these and then Robbie and Katherine (the BSFF Directors) chose just 29 for our official selection.
Not yet seen the films? You can watch a limited selection asynchronously this week on our YouTube channel, or live at virtual screenings on Monday 22nd and Tuesday 23rd August (19:30 GMT+1).
If your film was selected, a massive well done! It was an incredibly tough competition! The 29 films were passed to our teams of judges or to the University of Bristol research institutes that kindly supported additional prizes this year.
You can learn a little more about the BSFF judges in our previous blog posts:
Science Fact judges
Science Fiction judges
The institutes and judges watched the official selection and scored them. The scores were averaged to decide the winners. Read on to find out who won!
Elizabeth Blackwell Institute health film prize
The University of Bristol-based Institute supports researchers and brings together people with different knowledge, experience and skills to predict, prevent and address health challenges.
Runner up — Only Knowing
Emily Fisher
An animated short film which explores the relationship between types of memory through an interpretation of ‘In the Moment: Music and Amnesia’ by Oliver Sacks.
Watch the trailer here.
Winner — What is Schizophrenia?
Amelie Dean
There are many stigmas which surround the mental health disorder schizophrenia. This film looks at the symptoms, causes, and treatments of schizophrenia and then, with this knowledge, seeks to unpack and disprove some of the stereotypes.
Watch it again here.
Jean Golding Institute data science and AI film prize
The University of Bristol-based Institute is a multidisciplinary hub, an environment where novel data science and data-intensive research is explored to find data driven solutions to societal challenges. The JGI connects, communicates, and facilitates interdisciplinary exchange, promoting a spirit of collaboration, working with communities to enhance research impact, expand networks and develop partnerships.
Runner up — Guess What’s Coming to Dinner
Evan Pitt-Payne
In the near future, a man struggles to come to terms with the fact that his daughter is dating an android.
Winner — Frames
Farhad Pakdel
A smart city tracks and analyses a woman walking through the city. Things she does are interpreted and logged by the city system, but are they drawing an accurate picture of the woman?
Watch it again here.
Science Fact Amateur
Runner up — The Science of Bird Flight
Alicia Hayden
Have you ever wondered how a bird flaps its wings? In this short, animated film, Alicia explores why!
Watch it again here.
Runner up — What is Schizophrenia?
Amelie Dean
See above for more details on Amelie’s film.
Winner — For The Love of Whales
Alyssa Stoller
Research group Whale Wise study the response of humpback and blue whales to whale watching encounters to design a suitable conservation plan for both whales and people in Iceland.
Watch it again here.
Science Fact Professional
Runner up — The Universe Within
Valentina Cruz Collins
Joaquin (9) asks himself how the Universe began. He narrates a native Tehuelche myth about the Earth’s origins. Then, he explains the Big Bang Theory, using metaphors and drawings of his own.
Watch it again here.
Winner — The Bat Man and Woman of India
Emily Driscoll
Researchers Chelmala and Bhargavi Srinivasulu’s partnership launched them on a strange and, at times, dangerous journey to find a bat that had not been seen in two decades – the Kolar leaf-nosed bat.
Watch it again here.
Science Fiction Amateur
Runner up — Finding Yourself
Tom Bedford
A burnt-out office worker goes on a camping trip to find themselves, only to discover their doppelganger has had the same idea.
Winner — IRIS
Zach Lovvorn
In a world where everyone owns a companion in the form of a sentient human eyeball, one rebellious user will rid his life of them or die trying.
Watch the trailer here.
Science Fiction Professional
Runner up — Guilty Not Guilty
Karin Wegsjö
A man is on trial for a decision he didn’t make and everyone has to handle the complexity of the case. How can you claim anyone responsible for a decision that is not made by a human?
Find out more here.
Runner up — RELATIVITY
Jules Rebuffat, Hugo Astesano, Guillaume Hulot, Loic Remy, Loic Ciaux, Benjamin Matthys
Adams is the first astronaut to approach lightspeed. He experiments regularly to analyse how such a speed will affect living organisms, until an exceptional event that changes everything.
Winner — Survivers
Carlos Gómez-Trigo
Natural selection says that only those who adapt will survive. What if humans have become stupid?
Watch the trailer here.
Congratulations everyone!!!
Bristol Science Film Festival 