Nate Metheny

The 2012 Science On Screen series in Santa Fe wrapped up Thursday evening, December 13, to a full house with "The Gods Must Be Crazy" and Murray Gell-Mann's analysis of Jamie Uys’ groundbreaking 1980 comedy.

In the movie, a wayward Coca-Cola bottle upsets the balance in a utopian African village, setting off a chain of unlikely events, including bewildering (and hilarious) confrontations with “modern culture.” Gell-Mann, a Nobel laureate, physicist, complexity pioneer, world traveler, and Santa Fe Institute icon will supply his unique brand of insight and analysis to the plot.

Science On Screen is a collaboration of SFI and the Center for Contemporary Arts (CCA) in Santa Fe. During each showing, an SFI scientist presents a favorite film, offering personal perspectives and insights from the world of science. It's an idea-rich spin on the movies.

SFI and CCA presented four Science on Screen events early in 2012. (Watch the 4-minute trailer for "Groundhog Day with Murray Gell-Mann," screened May 17, 2012, at the CCA.)

The 2012 encore series, presented in conjunction with the Coolidge Corner Theater and the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, offers three classic films selected by SFI scientists. A planned 2013 series includes three more films.

Advance tickets are recommended. For tickets and prices, call the CCA Box Office at 505-982-1338.

All showings take place at the CCA, 1050 Old Pecos Trail, in Santa Fe.

2013 series (dates subject to change):

Primer with Cris Moore, Wednesday, February 6: Working after hours in a garage, two young inventors craft a machine that opens up a universe of possibility…and consequences. SFI’s Professor Cris Moore -- a computer scientist, mathematician, physicist, and author -- provides a window into Shane Carruth’s twisty and unforgettable 2004 cult film.

Never Cry Wolf with Paula Sabloff, Wednesday, March 13, 2013: Dropped alone into the Arctic Circle to study the hunting patterns of wolves, a biologist discovers the deeper mysteries of the wild. SFI Professor and anthropologist Paula Sabloff brings her expert perspective, gleaned from years of field work, to Carroll Ballard’s 1983 Oscar-nominated classic.

Sneakers with Simon DeDeo, Wednesday, April 24, 2013: Robert Redford, Sidney Poitier, and Ben Kingsley headline an all-star cast in this hacker version of Ocean’s 11, in which a team of computer security experts are recruited to steal a very powerful little box. Astrophysicist and mathematician Simon DeDeo, an SFI Omdyar Fellow, shares his knowledge of the history of hacking to put this 1992 cult film into perspective.

Past SFI-CCA Science On Screen events: 

Raiders of the Lost Ark with George Gumerman, November 28, 2012 (listen to his interview on KSFR's Santa Fe Radio Cafe)

Memento with Chris Wood, October 17, 2012

Groundhog Day with Murray Gell-Mann, May 17, 2012

Future Cities with Geoffrey West, April 26, 2012

Blade Runner with Nathan Collins, March 29, 2012

WarGames with Simon DeDeo, March 8, 2012