15 Aug Join the quest to answer humanity’s greatest questions
What is time? Are we alone in the universe? And how much do we really know?
Winner of SCINEMA’s Special Jury Award, The Most Unknown offers a window into the wonders of science as a chain of researchers tackle some of humanity’s biggest questions.
Nine scientists are all trying to unravel the mysteries of life and the universe. Their fields, including neuroscience, geobiology and astrophysics, couldn’t be more diverse. Yet as each scientist travels around the globe to meet the next, they are united by their curiosity… and uncover a bit more about our world.
The Most Unknown, directed by Ian Cheney, brings us along first-hand on this ultimate journey. We delve underneath the Italian alps into a particle accelerator laboratory, visit ‘monkey island’ off the coast of Puerto Rico, descend to the methane vents on the Pacific ocean floor and rise 4,000 meters high on Hawaii’s Mauna Kea summit to study the formation of the early solar system.
“We’re trying to solve a really long mystery novel all the time,” describes cognitive psychologist Laurie Santos, “We get to the end of the chapter and we think we’ve made progress but then there’s a new door, and a new twist.”
The film sparks our wonder to learn about the world around us. We are left pondering questions like, ‘what does it mean to be human?’ or ‘does dark matter even exist?’
The Most Unknown doesn’t provide any concrete answers but it taps into our human nature to be curious. More importantly, it shows us the journey of science exploration and discovery.
For astronomer Rachel Smith, seen in the film, “It’s a puzzle with a million, billion pieces. And we’ve got one piece”.
Although the science research provides the fascinating content, it’s the mystifying music, amazing cinematography and exciting story-telling that kept us glued to our seats.
The Most Unknown is a must-see for anyone with an inquisitive mind and a love of film. It’s also a great tool for school students who want to explore different science career paths on the big screen!
You can catch The Most Unknown and other award-winning films at the SCINEMA International Science Film Festival. Click here to register for your very own public or private SCINEMA screening!