Junior doctor Robbie Freedom, a University of Bristol graduate and co-founder of the festival, which is now in its 6th year, set up the event to engage science communicators to showcase their talents and discoveries through the medium of film.
This year, the festival has an additional health themed prize to mark the 200th anniversary of the birth of Elizabeth Blackwell, the first female doctor. The University of Bristol’s Elizabeth Blackwell Institute for Health Research has supported prizes of £150 and £50 cash prize for the winner and runner up of this category.
University of Bristol PhD biochemistry student, Katherine MacInnes who co-runs the festival alongside Robbie, said: “Films represent a really powerful way to tell a story or help communicate some of science’s amazing discoveries and breakthroughs. With the increasing prevalence of mini-movie-making machines (smartphones), we think film is a great and accessible form of science communication.”