Science Film Festival at SM Mall of Asia

            The recent launching of the Science Film Festival at Cinema One of the SM Mall of Asia brought together members of the diplomatic corps, international organization, corporate executives, and students from different schools.

  HE French Ambassador o the Philippines Thierry Borja de Mozota (center) with (From Left to right) Embassy of France Cultural Councellor Christian Merer, SM Mall of Asia Mall Manager Perkin So, Goethe Institut’s Luisa Zaide, VP for Marketing Millie Dizon, French Embassy Audio Visual Attache Martin Macalintal and SM AVP for Marketing Dennis Cruz.

            A joint project of the SM Nido Fortified Center and the SM Cinema with the Embassy of France, Goethe Institut Philippines, the Asean Centre for Biodiversity, UNESCO, the Department of Education, and ABS CBN Foundation, this kicked off the Philippine leg of the festival, which took take place November 16-30, 2010 in venues in various ASEAN countries like Thailand, Indonesia, the Philippines, and Cambodia.  This is also the first year in which the festival has a United Nations agency as an official partner.

The Quezon Science High School students

 

            In time for the United Nation’s declaration of 2010 as the International Year of Biodiversity, the Philippine leg of this year’s festival is themed as Sinesensya – Kamaghaan ang Samu’t Saring Buhay sa Daigdig or Be Amazed by the Diversity of Life.

            The festival includes selected films that communicate technological and scientific issues to a broad audience, especially the youth. By presenting films that communicate these issues accessibly and entertainingly to a broad audience, the festival encourages a culture of science films that effectively combines education and entertainment, proving that learning can be fun.

            On its opening day at the SM Mall of Asia Cinema 1, the festival premiered the French film Oceans by Jacques Perrin.  This beautifully crafted film about the photogenic oddities and endangered wonders in and around our seas, was enjoyed by hundreds of grade school and high school students from Caloocan, Muntinlupa, Quezon City, and Manila Science High Schools.  Students from the German School, the European International School of Manila, and Martyr Ecumenical School joined them.

            HE German Ambassador Christian Ludwig Weber-Lortsch and HE French Ambassador Borja de Mozota led the diplomatic dignitaries that graced the occasion that included Goethe Institut Director Richard Kunael, UNESCO Representative from Jakarta Hussein Macarambot, the French Embassy’s Cultural Counsellor Christian Merer, and Goethe Institut’s Luisa Zaide.  SM executives – VP for Marketing Millie Dizon, Mall of Asia AVP for Operations Steven Tan, AVP for Marketing Dennis Cruz, and Mall Manager Perkin So welcomed them.

            The Science Film Festival was organized by Goethe Institut in partnership with ABS-CBN Foundation, the Embassy of France, the ASEAN Center for Biodiversity, and the SM Supermalls.