Organization of the 6th edition of the "Sud de sciences" festival from November 29 to December 3!

[Press release] - Published on November 6, 2023 in Press Room

The University of Montpellier, the Faculty of Science, five partner research organizations (CIRAD, CNRS, INRAE, INSERM, IRD), the City of Montpellier, the Montpellier Méditerranée Métropole Network of Media Libraries and Scientific Culture, and the Kimiyo association are joining forces for the sixth edition of the "Sud de sciences" festival. This science film festival illustrates a strong shared commitment: to strengthen the relationship between science and society by offering free screenings of science films to as many people as possible, followed by discussions with researchers.

This sixth edition boasts a rich program that will be shown in three media libraries in the network: Castries, Clapiers, and Montpellier, where a screening is also planned at the Nestor Burma Cinema.

"Sudde sciences": a rich program for sharing knowledge

The festival program is designed to showcase, challenge, reflect on, and debate scientific issues. It includes a section dedicated to schoolchildren and seven recent feature-length documentaries, selected to offer the public an immersion into the heart of knowledge and opportunities for privileged exchanges:

• Wednesday, November 29 at 6:30 p.m. at the Albert Camus media library in Clapiers:

"Brazilian Amazon, a different perspective" (2022), directed by Emilie Rozand with Marie-Gabrielle Piketty, economics researcher at CIRAD: with the global environmental crisis and growing concern about deforestation, the future of the Brazilian Amazon seems uncertain. This documentary sheds light on three very different territories. Working alongside research teams, it shows how local populations perceive and transform their problems in this part of the world. It presents territories that offer solutions for the Brazilian Amazon of tomorrow.

• Thursday, November 30 at 6:30 p.m. at the Émile Zola media library in Montpellier:

"The tree that hides the forest: the challenges of reforestation" (2022), directed by Marianne Cazaux with Robin Duponnois, microbiology researcher at IRD, as guest speaker. A journey through the deforested lands of the Scottish Highlands, the legendary landscapes of the Vosges mountains, and the Sahel, where the monumental Great Green Wall project is taking shape. Scientists invite us to listen more closely to these mysterious ecosystems in order to meet the challenges of reforestation. Will these artificial plantations be as effective as natural forests at trapping CO2?

"Après les flammes" (2022), directed by Florent Rocchi. End-of-year film (2nd year of the IFFCAM DU "Writing and directing wildlife documentaries")

• Friday, December 1 at 6:30 p.m. at the Françoise Giroud media library in Castries

"The Super Powers of Music" (2022), directed by Jacques Mitsch with guest speaker Sylvain Mangiarotti, researcher in Chaos Theory at IRD and CESBIO-OMP (Center for Space Studies of the Biosphere). What is the purpose of music? In recent years, advances in neuroscience have demonstrated the incredible impact of music on our brains at every stage of our lives, from the womb to old age. This documentary is a behavioral and neurological investigation that aims to unravel the mystery of the powers of music in our lives.

• Saturday, December 2 at 10:30 a.m. at the Émile Zola media library in Montpellier

"Gold and Arsenic Mines" (2021), directed by Valerie Cibot and Michel Coqblin, featuring Claude Grison, a chemistry researcher at the CNRS. We follow the adventure of a scientific team tasked with cleaning up the former mining site of Salsigne, in the Aude department. After a century of mining the largest gold and arsenic mines, environmental and human damage was evident. There was no hope, yet researchers made incredible discoveries in "ecological chemistry" that gave hope to local residents.

• Saturday, December 2 at 3:00 p.m. at the Albert Camus media library in Clapiers

"Bats: Friend or Foe?" (2021), directed by Raphaël Hitier, featuring Anne Keriel, infectious disease researcher at INSERM, and Nathalie Charbonnel, evolutionary ecology researcher at INRAE. As this astonishing scientific investigation shows, this flying mammal fascinates researchers, who are trying to uncover the secrets of its ironclad health. Carriers of hundreds of viruses, some of which are transmissible to humans, bats are suspected of being the source of several diseases: Marburg fever, Ebola, not to mention multiple coronaviruses. But how does this mammal manage to resist infection? Its resilience to disease intrigues many scientists.

• Sunday, December 3 at 11:00 a.m. at the Nestor Burma cinema in Montpellier

"Sons of Ice" (2022), directed by Oscar Dario Jimenez Escruceria, featuring Fabien Anthelme, ecologist and researcher at IRD. Four men and one woman have dedicated their lives to admiring and protecting Colombia's glaciers, which are unique in the world. However, giving one's life to protect the mountains will not be enough to stop their extinction.

• Sunday, December 3 at 3:00 p.m. at the Émile Zola media library in Montpellier

"Sapiens, or the Birth of Art" (2022), directed by Pascal Goblot with Ludovic Dolez, Doctor of Archaeology and tour guide, as guest speaker. Did art really emerge in Europe 36,000 years ago with the Chauvet Cave? Or even earlier, 18,000 years ago in Lascaux? Recent research has turned the story of the origins of art on its head: the oldest paintings discovered date back more than 45,000 years and are located in Indonesia! An invitation to delve into history with archaeologists, prehistorians, anthropologists, and artists from around the world to rediscover how and where art was born, while exploring the inseparable nature of Sapiens and art.

Keywords: Research, Science, Company