''Science Fair'' is a 2018

National Geographic ''National Geographic'' (formerly the ''National Geographic Magazine'', sometimes branded as NAT GEO) is a popular American monthly magazine published by National Geographic Partners. Known for its photojournalism, it is one of the most widely ...

documentary film A documentary film or documentary is a non-fictional film, motion-picture intended to "document reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction, education or maintaining a Recorded history, historical record". Bill Nichols (film critic), Bil ...

that premiered at the 2018

Sundance Film Festival The Sundance Film Festival (formerly Utah/US Film Festival, then US Film and Video Festival) is an annual film festival organized by the Sundance Institute. It is the largest independent film festival in the United States, with more than 46,66 ...

, winning the first ever Festival Favorite Award.

Synopsis

It covers the lives of 9 teenagers as they prepare for the

Intel International Science and Engineering Fair The Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) is an annual science fair in the United States. It is owned and administered by the Society for Science, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization based in Washington, D.C. Each May, more tha ...

. Characters followed in the film include Kashfia Rahman, a student from South Dakota who did research on the effects of risk-taking behaviors in teenagers, Anjali Chadha, a student from Kentucky who designed a project to test for arsenic, Ivo Zell, a German student who designed a new method of airplane propulsion, and two Brazilian students who innovate a way to treat the Zika virus.

Reception

Awards

Regarding the Festival Favorite Award, it was described as "so engaging and inspiring that we felt it would delight audiences and be a strong contender for this award" by the director of the Sundance Film Festival, and as "an ode to the teenage science geeks on whom our future depends". The movie also received the Festival Favorite award from the 2018

South by Southwest Film Festival South by Southwest, abbreviated as SXSW and colloquially referred to as South By, is an annual conglomeration of parallel film, interactive media, and music festivals and conferences organized jointly that take place in mid-March in Austin, T ...

and the Best Documentary Award from the 2018

Portland International Film Festival PAM CUT–Center for an Untold Tomorrow, formerly the ''Northwest Film Center'' is a regional media arts resource and service organization based in Portland, Oregon, United States that was founded to encourage the study, appreciation, and utilizat ...

. It was nominated for an Emmy for Outstanding Science and Technology Documentary at the 40th

News and Documentary Emmy Award The News & Documentary Emmy Awards, or News & Documentary Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Bestowed by the National Academy of Television Arts and Scien ...

References

{{National Geographic Documentary Films National Geographic Society films 2018 documentary films Documentary films about science 2018 films 2010s English-language films 2010s American films