Science Museum has announced a new Science Fiction Film Festival

The Science Museum in London has announced the details of its first Science Fiction Film Festival, which takes place from 8th to 12th March 2023.

The programme includes multiple Academy Award winners: Interstellar, introduced by director Christopher Nolan and visual effects supervisor, Paul Franklin; 2001: A Space Odyssey, with a talk including Nicole Stott, veteran NASA astronaut; Tenet, introduced by Nolan; Alien, followed by a panel including actor Veronica Cartwright and Edwina Dunn OBE, founder of The Female Lead; Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse will be introduced by star Shameik Moore and director Peter Ramsey; WALL-E, introduced by a conversation with Danielle Feinberg, Pixar Animation Studios; and the IMAX edition of Blade Runner: The Final Cut, presented for the first time in Europe.

Scene from SUNSHINE

Sunshine is a hot ticket with a post-screening Q&A with director Danny Boyle, science advisor Professor Brian Cox and astrophysicist Dr Maggie Aderin-Pocock. Meanwhile, Professor Lucie Green will give an insight into The Science of Sunshine in the Hans Rausing Lecture Theatre. From cult hit to cultural touchstone, the 30th anniversary of The X-Files will be marked with the pilot episode presented on one of the biggest screens in the UK, featuring a Q&A with the creator of ‘The X-Files’, Chris Carter, and science advisor to the series, Anne Simon.

The X-Files

There will also be unmissable comedy with Attack the Block and Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure. Director Joe Cornish will take part in a Q&A following Attack the Block, which also features a talk about the search for aliens by Jill Tarter, co-founder of the SETI (Search for Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence) Institute. Alex Winter, who played the eponymous Bill, and Ed Solomon, co-creator of the ‘Bill & Ted’ trilogy will speak with physicists about current research into time travel.

Attack the Block Courtesy of STUDIOCANAL

Panel discussions will accompany the screenings to explore How to imagine an alien and How to build an android with guests such as artists Simon Green and Dr Alexandra Daisy Ginsberg, and scientists Professor Jason Chin, Dr Arik Kerhsenbaum and Dr Bettina Beinhoff. There will also be a discussion for Building sci-fi worlds with bestselling author Ben Aaronovitch, Academy Award-winning visual effects supervisor Paul Franklin, Professor Jennifer Rohn, and Professor Giovanna Tinetti.

Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure © 1989 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc.

Chris Bell, Events Producer at the Science Museum Group, said ‘We’re delighted to bring together a thrilling programme of science fiction film classics, alongside an incredible talks line-up of visionary film-makers and leading science professionals. Audiences can join us to explore how scientists and science fiction creators have inspired each other to imagine new worlds, new life and new technology.’

Spider-Man Into the Spider-Verse (1) ©2019 CTMG. All Rights Reserved. MARVEL and all related character names © & ™ 2019 MARVEL

The Science Fiction Film Festival forms part of a complementary event programme for the immersive blockbuster exhibition, Science Fiction: Voyage to the Edge of Imagination. Taking visitors on an adventure through the cosmos aboard a spaceship, it explores visions of the future through the science of today and authentic objects from popular culture.

Younger visitors can experience a night of adventure among the museum’s most iconic objects, with the opportunity to get hands-on in workshops and science shows and visit Science Fiction: Voyage to the Edge of Imagination at Science Fiction Astronights.

IMAX The Ronson Theatre at the Science Museum © Science Museum Group

Ahead of the festival’s closing night screening of ‘Blade Runner: The Final Cut’ IMAX Edition, a panel explores whether we might one day build advanced humans, and how.

Dr Philip Ball, science writer and author, will chair the discussion between Dr Alexandra Daisy Ginsberg, an artist with work exhibited at MoMA New York and the Royal Academy; Professor Jason Chin, Programme Leader at the Medical Research Council Laboratory of Molecular Biology; Professor Maja Pantic, Professor of Affective and Behavioral Computing, and the AI Scientific Research Lead in Facebook London; and Dr Thomas-George Thuruthel, Lecturer in Robotics and AI at University College London.

For more information and to book tickets, head over to the Science Museum site.