Ten days at the Locarno Film Festival. A few months ago, long before the festival began, these words held a meaning that felt elusive. And even as preparations advanced, train tickets were booked, and first plans formed, these words remained abstract. But once arrived reality struck: We will reside in a cinema-turned city, Locarno, a transient focal point of cinema, and we will join in with a workshop, and a film of our own, a film we made, our short film, our voice.
It felt unfamiliar, almost unsettling, to step into this space simultaneously as scientists and as filmmakers. So, at the beginning, watchful patience was needed. We approached the community slowly, absorbing the context through conversations, films, and the surrounding atmosphere. And the more we understood these contexts, the easier it became to forget that, as scientists, we were in some sense outsiders. Gradually, we fused with the festival, or perhaps we were assimilated into it, felt like filmmakers, and in that way became a part of it. This allowed us, at one point, not only to take in but also to give back, until both happened at once.
Now immersed, it was easier to grasp the reality of this, elusiveness faded, we were in Locarno, with a mission! Here in this historical city, that hosts one of the most reputable film festivals, we were to use a small stage that has been given to us to share our perspective on science and art, science communication, and science responsibility. Interestingly, we no longer felt nervous about the accompanying film, but instead looked forward to showing it. Perhaps because we, through the festival days, internalized that emotional resonance speaks the loudest. And of course, we understood that film is probably the most compelling medium to convey this resonance. And just as we dared to hope by now, the resonance was powerful. The many discussions that followed afterwards not only shifted our perspective in surprising ways but also taught us that sharing science must not always be about delivering answers. Sometimes it is merely about creating spaces where questions can be asked and, perhaps most importantly, where new questions can emerge.
It was an honor, as part of the NCCR MSE Science Ambassadors, to get the chance to engage in the Locarno film festival and the BaseCamp. I am happy that our contribution was well received, not only during the workshop, but also during conversations and other shared experiences. It was a rewarding experience for us, and one of those rare experiences that grow richer and continue to gain depth long after they have passed.
So, returning to the hope that I expressed before the festival: do I carry my luggage differently now? Yes, it’s fuller but lighter. Why? Because experience is baggage that you are glad to carry.
Denijel
Making sense of experiences that ask you to look more closely has shaped many of my decisions. Perhaps that’s why I find such meaning in my work as a microbiologist, where understanding comes from learning how to see the invisible. The reward unfolds after long stretches of uncertainty, when the pieces suddenly come together, because then, it doesn’t feel like you are just knowing parts, but as if you can see the whole at once. Seeking out this satisfaction has guided my attention also to certain kinds of films, books, or even conversations, that reveal their meaning slowly but deeply.
In Locarno, I know it will not just be the films, art, and conversations that stay with me, but the chance to gain a lasting insight into my view of science by communicating it in an unfamiliar way: art. Therefore, my luggage will not just be packed with my essentials, but also with questions. Can art carry understanding that is usually only accessible to scientists? Or, can art convey truths that science cannot? Is always understanding the facts even the goal?
When I return, I hope to carry my luggage differently.