Amherst Cinema Hosts National Evening Of Science On Screen March 28

Source: Amherst Cinema

Amherst Cinema received a Alfred P. Sloan Foundation grant to join 23 other cinemas or museums with film programs in 18 states to host a National Evening of Science on Screen. The Amherst Cinema will show the film “After Yang” (96 minutes, Directed by Kogonada, PG, 2022) at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, March 28. That evening, participating organizations will use one of the nation’s favorite pastimes—going to the movies—to promote public understanding of science.  

The National Evening of Science on Screen is the annual showcase event of the nationwide Science on Screen grant initiative, which is funded by the Sloan Foundation and administered by the Coolidge Corner Theatre, the celebrated Massachusetts art-house cinema that launched Science on Screen in 2005. Over the past decade, Sloan has awarded the Coolidge Theatre over $4 million to develop and administer Science on Screen programs around the US through partnerships with other nonprofits. The Coolidge has in turn awarded 353 grants totaling over $2.5 million to 108 independent cinemas and/or museums in 42 states.

“After Yang” stars Colin Farrell as Jake. When his young daughter’s beloved companion—an android named Yang—malfunctions, Jake searches for a way to repair him. In the process, Jake discovers the life that has been passing in front of him, reconnecting with his wife (Jodie Turner-Smith) and daughter across a distance he didn’t know was there. Justin Chang of the Los Angeles Times writes, “AFTER YANG, the second feature from the Korean American writer-director Kogonada, is very much its own subtle, bittersweet and curiously intoxicating brew. The experience of watching it produces readily identifiable flavors and associations: It’s a gentle-toned family drama and a moody futuristic fable, with a faint techno-paranoid aroma, a melancholy mouthfeel and a lingering aftertaste of existential unease.” 

The speaker for the evening is Salman Hameed, Charles Taylor Professor of Integrated Science and Humanities at Hampshire College. His academic training is in astronomy, but for the past fifteen years he has been working in the interdisciplinary area of science, religion and society. He has taught Aliens: Close Encounters of a Multidisciplinary Kind and Darwin and Evolution in the Muslim world, and co-taught Astrobiology: Ethics to Exoplanets with microbiologist Jason Tor and planetary geologist, Darby Dyar. He is also actively engaged in science communication and is the founder of Kainaat Studios that produces astronomy content in Urdu for an audience in Pakistan (and broader South Asia). He is a weekly guest on NEPM’s The Fabulous 413 with Monte Belmonte and Kaliis Smith, and is a monthly guest on The Bill Newman Show on WHMP. 

“For this year’s national evening, Salman Hameed will introduce “AFTER YANG”—exploring and asking big, existential questions such as, ‘What makes us human?’ Meanwhile, in real life, with the rise of AI chatbots including ChatGPT, many of us are asking the same,” said Executive Director Yasmin Chin Eisenhauer. “On Tuesday, March 28, I invite you to come wonder with us.” 

Tickets are available online and at the Box Office. For more information, visit: https://amherstcinema.org/films-and-events/after-yang 

The 24 cinemas participating in the 2023 National Evening of Science on Screen to date are:  

● Amherst Cinema, Amherst, MA 

● Arena Theater, Point Arena, CA 

● Athens Ciné, Athens, GA 

● Austin Film Society, Austin, TX 

● Belcourt Theatre, Nashville, TN 

● Cameo Cinema, St. Helena, CA 

● Coolidge Corner Theatre, Brookline, MA 

● FilmScene, Iowa City, IA 

● Film Streams, Omaha, NE 

● Frida Cinema, Santa Ana, CA 

● The Grand Cinema, Tacoma, WA 

● Juneau Underground Motion Picture Society and Gold Town Theater, Juneau, AK 

● Lawrence Arts Center, Lawrence, KS 

● The Lindsay Theater and Cultural Center, Sewickley, PA 

● Montclair Film, Montclair, NJ 

● Museum of Discovery and Science, Fort Lauderdale, FL 

● New York International Children’s Film Festival, New York NY 

● OxFilm, Oxford, MS 

● Philadelphia Film Society, Philadelphia, PA 

● Real Art Ways, Hartford, CT 

● Roxy Theater, Missoula, MT 

● Taos Center for the Arts, Taos, NM 

● Varsity Cinema, Des Moines, IA 

● Willcox Theater and Arts, Willcox, AZ