NIH Science in the Cinema Film Festival
Do you believe everything you see in the movies? Now is your chance to see whether or not you should. The ever-popular NIH Science in the Cinema film festival begins its third season Aug. 8.
The film series features six movies, each depicting a science or medical theme. After the screening of the film, a guest speaker will comment on the scientific issues raised in the movie and answer questions from the audience.
Opening night, Aug. 8, will feature The Madness of King George, based on the true story of King George III of England, whose "mad" behavior was likely caused by porphyria, a metabolic imbalance.
Nell, starring Jodie Foster as a "wild child," who developed unusual speech and movement patterns from her mother, who had suffered a stroke, will be shown Aug. 15.
A 1931 Academy Award nominated movie, Arrowsmith, based on the Sinclair Lewis novel about an idealistic doctor who faces moral dilemmas in his search for a cure for bubonic plague, is the feature Aug. 22.
Mental health and psychiatry are explored Aug. 29 in Don Juan DeMarco, starring Johnny Depp as the title character, who is convinced he is the world's greatest lover, and Marlon Brando as the psychiatrist called on to cure him.
A popular dramatic tool, amnesia, is highlighted in the 1991 film, Regarding Henry, starring Harrison Ford as a victim of a shooting, which will be featured Sept. 5.
You won't want to miss closing night, Sept. 12, when the 1994 blockbuster hit, Apollo 13, about the near-disastrous mission to the moon, will be screened.
Science in the Cinema, sponsored by the Office of Science Education, is a free program open to the public. Each film begins at 7 p.m. and will be followed by a discussion with the guest speaker. The program will be held in the main auditorium of the Natcher Bldg. Come to the film festival and discover that going to the movies can be not only fun, but also educational. For more information, contact the Office of Science Education, 2-2469.
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