Irem Couchouron, head of Public Programs at the Silbersalz Science and Media Festival whose third edition runs 25-28 June 2020, spoke to Business Doc Europe about the festival’s rationale. Couchouron is at IDFA to scout films for the Halle-based multi-media event.
“Our aim is to create a bridge between science and society,” Couchouron explains. “It’s about bringing scientists, media makers, creators and thinkers in direct touch with the public in an open discussion and exchange platform, both on scientific level, technological level as well as focussing on globally relevant topics.”
She adds that a further principle behind the event is “to reach out to young audiences who are not regularly in touch, or who have lost touch, with science and to bring [them] back towards a global understanding on its importance.”
“The whole idea is to promote creative science storytelling on all mediums, to incubate new ways of communicating science through art, through cinema and through ideas exchange. This is what makes Silbersalz unique,” she adds.
The industry component of the event comprises an intensive two-day conference programme that unites the science and media communities at “eye level”. Couchouron points out how young scientists with “brand new concepts, innovations and research”, as well important academicians and senior level speakers from across natural and social sciences, will join heads with media professionals from the film, art, design and other creative industries.
“We are bringing them together to learn from each other, to have direct contact and to have networking opportunities, where they can actually pitch their ideas to each other to find common ground and co-create or collaborate on future programming.”
“This could be a science based documentary, an AR piece or it could be an digital opera”, she adds. “We bring them together to incubate new science programmes that will travel across the world and fascinate global audiences.”
The list of past institutions in attendance at Silbersalz is highly impressive, ranging from the Max Planck Institute, The Weizmann Institute of Science (Israel) and the Wellcome Trust on the science side, to BBC Studios (Science Unit), NHK (Japan) and ZDF on the media side.
At IDFA, Couchouron is looking for films and projects that are science-oriented and socially engaged. “I will also particularly be looking for films that are about nature, bio-diversity, sustainable futures and about global change, whether economic, political or environmental, and everything that is related to climate change. That is one of the main strands that we are working on this year, and I will be meeting a lot with foundations working on impact films.”
