Austin Film Festival 2016

I attended my first Austin Film Festival on behalf of the Science and Entertainment Exchange. I love, love, love talking to creative type working on movies, shows, books, or stories of any kind about how to better incorporate science and scientists into their work. 

I was on a panel in the morning with Nicole Perlman, Spiros Michalakis, and Wendy Calhoun about Science Fiction versus Science Fact:

A lot of the allure of science fiction lies in the excitement of its outlandish worlds and imaginative circumstances. But there’s also a part where audiences can’t help but wonder: could this really happen? Between mass zombie outbreaks to intricate time travel to adventures through space, writers need to know where to pull from scientific fact, and where to bend the truth. Join this discussion with writers and scientists alike on balancing fiction with fact and what’s required for viewers to truly suspend their disbelief so the appearance of truth is always within arm’s reach. After all, the science fiction of today could very well be the science fact of tomorrow.

And in the afternoon, the Exchange put on a mini-workshop for filmmakers and scientist to mix it up.