"Cartoon Science" International Festival of Scientific Cartoons started at the Exposition
From March 29 to 31, the International Festival of
Scientific Cartoons "Cartoon Science" ("Mult Nauka") takes
place in the ATOM Pavilion. From the first day, guests can watch animated films
from around the world, listen to educational lectures, and attend masterclasses
from professional animators.
"The union of science and art very often in our history
gave birth to significant works, allowed to go beyond the borders and look at
the world from a different angle, and in this sense the festival "Cartoon
Science" is unique: here you can get both new knowledge and aesthetic
pleasure from watching quality animation from around the world,"
emphasized the CEO of the Soyuzmultfilm film studio, as well as a member of the
jury of the festival "Cartoon Science" Boris Mashkovtsev.
The festival program includes the best educational cartoons
from famous international projects and leading Russian studios. The audience
will not only see festival works devoted to different sciences — from physics
to philosophy, but also meet long-loved characters from "Fixies",
"Kikoriki" ("Smeshariki") and "Umka". The program
also includes a collection of rare cartoons from animation historian Georgy
Borodin - "Animation Futurology: Look from the USSR".
"The idea of the festival belongs to the Atom
Foundation. Last year, even before the opening of the RUSSIA EXPO, we,
discussing the events, decided that this is a great idea. So that from the
early childhood we could talk about the surrounding world through the most
understandable, favorite and interesting — through animation," said one of
the organizers, producer of the "Mult Nauka" festival Dmitry
Shlepnev.
The organizers said that during the festival days children
can visit different locations. It will be possible to watch cartoons and communicate
with representatives of animation studios, directly ask questions to those who
create cartoons. It is possible to listen to lectures from representatives of
the scientific community, who, promoting science, will talk about physics,
chemistry, geography and many other things in an accessible language. For three
days the "Cartoon Laboratory" will work, where you can create your
own animated movie in a variety of techniques: with the help of loose
materials, from cut paper and cardboard figures, drawn or plasticine. At the
same time, the theme of the cartoon itself also promotes various kinds of
science. Children can choose one of six workshops and try to make their own
cartoon about ecology, astrophysics or nuclear power.
Moreover, there is a VR-cinema on the festival grounds,
where children are shown ten documentaries and animated films, shot with
special effects, telling about different fields of science: there are films
about space, reconstruction of historical events, films related to ecology, the
work of nuclear reactors and others.
Besides that, on the -3rd floor of the ATOM Pavilion there
is an exposition "The Science of Animation: from Wooden TV to Augmented
Reality". Here visitors can see optical toys of the XVIII-XX centuries — devices that with the help of science could animate pictures and transform the
surrounding world. These inventions became the prototypes of holographic
displays, 3D-cinema and virtual reality helmets.
The festival has a contest program. The organizers received
362 applications for participation from animators from more than 60 countries.
The 40 best works were selected to be shown at ATOM. According to the results
of the festival, winners will be chosen from them in three nominations:
"The Most Educational Cartoon about Science", "The Most
Inspiring Cartoon about Science", "The Best Image of a Scientist
Embodied in a Cartoon".
"We will summarize the results of the contest on March
31 — the last day of the festival. There will be a beautiful and interesting
closing ceremony. Another important thing is that there will be a cartoon
concert of composers and songwriters of the "Smeshariki" series. They
will specially arrive from St. Petersburg. We will be happy to welcome all the
young and adult guests who will come to our concert," emphasized Dmitry
Shlepnev.
