A Trip to Space and Back. The 2024 Edition of “Cinema & History” Has Come to an End
The 12th edition of Cinema & History, the free training course for secondary school teachers, has now ended. The event was promoted by the Pirelli Foundation and Fondazione ISEC in collaboration with the Cinema Beltrade of Milan. “The Cosmos: The Next Frontier” was the title of this year’s programme, consisting of six online sessions, which involved about 200 teachers from across all Italy. The topic examined was that of cosmic space. There were five historical lectures given by university professors, while Cinema Beltrade put on a workshop that examined the languages of cinema and provided a selection of films for streaming.
The course started with a lecture by David Burigana, associate professor of History of International Relations at the University of Padua, who examined the geopolitical implications of the Moon race during the Cold War to the launch of the International Space Station, focusing in particular on the importance of space diplomacy.
A delicate intergalactic balance, a state of peace and a sharing of knowledge, but also a danger that threatens it all, are the main elements of the film Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets, by Luc Besson, which was selected for the first event. A cinematic journey to the edge of the Universe, in a world of alien cultures and pristine lands.
In his lecture, Massimo Sideri, adjunct professor of Socio-economic History of Innovation at the Luiss Guido Carli University of Rome and columnist for the Corriere della Sera, examined the consequences of the launch of the first artificial satellite into orbit by the Soviet Union in 1957. One of the most important outcomes of what became known as the “Sputnik effect” was the birth of a modern form of scientific dissemination.
Star Stuff, a documentary by Milad Tangshir, imaginarily whisked the students off to Chile, South Africa and the Canary Islands, where they found out about three of the world’s most technologically advanced astronomical observatories. Indigenous communities and small villages live alongside these havens of research, which have allowed the international scientific community to make important discoveries concerning the origins of the Universe and of life on Earth.
The third lecture, given by Silvia Cavalli, professor of Modern and Contemporary Italian Literature at the Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore in Milan, reflected on how the space race influenced literature, bringing new themes to the attention of authors such as Italo Calvino and Primo Levi.
The importance of science fiction literature was also investigated in Jodorowsky’s Dune, a film by Frank Pavich, which documents one of the most visionary projects in the entire history of cinema: the big screen version, which was never terminated, of the novels of the “Dune” saga by Alejandro Jodorowsky. An innovative concept conveyed through interviews and a personal dialogue with the famous director, filmed over the course of 3 years.
Professor Matteo Landoni, from the Department of Economics and Management at the University of Brescia, highlighted the contribution of the Italian aerospace industry to the most important international space missions. He retraced the economic and technological evolution of Italy, which is now the third largest contributor to the European Space Agency (ESA).
In Paola Randi’s film Little Tito and the Aliens, the protagonist is an Italian professor and scientist cut off from the world in a mobile home in the Nevada desert, next to Area 51. Working on a secret project for the United States Government, “The Professor” sees his solitary life turned upside down by a sudden event. A poignant story that explores the themes of loneliness, the power of love and the process of grieving.
In the fifth lecture of the course, Miriam Focaccia, a researcher at the Enrico Fermi Study and Research Centre in Rome, examines the role of women in the world of astronomy, tracing the biographies of some of the greatest female scientists in history: from the Manfredi sisters, who worked in Bologna in the eighteenth century, to Margherita Hack and Samantha Cristoforetti.
The first Italian astronaut to go into space is also the protagonist of the documentary Astrosamantha, by Gianluca Cerasola, which takes the students through three years of Cristoforetti’s life: from the time she spent training for the mission to the adventure of orbiting the Earth with her team, through to the thrilling return home.
The last part of the course was devoted to the workshop entitled Imagined Universes: Science and Reality in the Viewfinder of Cinema, put on by Cinema Beltrade with the aim of helping teachers make best use of film in the classroom. Monica Naldi traced an extensive journey through the world of science, illustrating its ability to express the social and political hopes and fears of every generation for over a century. In particular, she examined its educational potential.
The 12th edition of Cinema & History, the free training course for secondary school teachers, has now ended. The event was promoted by the Pirelli Foundation and Fondazione ISEC in collaboration with the Cinema Beltrade of Milan. “The Cosmos: The Next Frontier” was the title of this year’s programme, consisting of six online sessions, which involved about 200 teachers from across all Italy. The topic examined was that of cosmic space. There were five historical lectures given by university professors, while Cinema Beltrade put on a workshop that examined the languages of cinema and provided a selection of films for streaming.
The course started with a lecture by David Burigana, associate professor of History of International Relations at the University of Padua, who examined the geopolitical implications of the Moon race during the Cold War to the launch of the International Space Station, focusing in particular on the importance of space diplomacy.
A delicate intergalactic balance, a state of peace and a sharing of knowledge, but also a danger that threatens it all, are the main elements of the film Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets, by Luc Besson, which was selected for the first event. A cinematic journey to the edge of the Universe, in a world of alien cultures and pristine lands.
In his lecture, Massimo Sideri, adjunct professor of Socio-economic History of Innovation at the Luiss Guido Carli University of Rome and columnist for the Corriere della Sera, examined the consequences of the launch of the first artificial satellite into orbit by the Soviet Union in 1957. One of the most important outcomes of what became known as the “Sputnik effect” was the birth of a modern form of scientific dissemination.
Star Stuff, a documentary by Milad Tangshir, imaginarily whisked the students off to Chile, South Africa and the Canary Islands, where they found out about three of the world’s most technologically advanced astronomical observatories. Indigenous communities and small villages live alongside these havens of research, which have allowed the international scientific community to make important discoveries concerning the origins of the Universe and of life on Earth.
The third lecture, given by Silvia Cavalli, professor of Modern and Contemporary Italian Literature at the Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore in Milan, reflected on how the space race influenced literature, bringing new themes to the attention of authors such as Italo Calvino and Primo Levi.
The importance of science fiction literature was also investigated in Jodorowsky’s Dune, a film by Frank Pavich, which documents one of the most visionary projects in the entire history of cinema: the big screen version, which was never terminated, of the novels of the “Dune” saga by Alejandro Jodorowsky. An innovative concept conveyed through interviews and a personal dialogue with the famous director, filmed over the course of 3 years.
Professor Matteo Landoni, from the Department of Economics and Management at the University of Brescia, highlighted the contribution of the Italian aerospace industry to the most important international space missions. He retraced the economic and technological evolution of Italy, which is now the third largest contributor to the European Space Agency (ESA).
In Paola Randi’s film Little Tito and the Aliens, the protagonist is an Italian professor and scientist cut off from the world in a mobile home in the Nevada desert, next to Area 51. Working on a secret project for the United States Government, “The Professor” sees his solitary life turned upside down by a sudden event. A poignant story that explores the themes of loneliness, the power of love and the process of grieving.
In the fifth lecture of the course, Miriam Focaccia, a researcher at the Enrico Fermi Study and Research Centre in Rome, examines the role of women in the world of astronomy, tracing the biographies of some of the greatest female scientists in history: from the Manfredi sisters, who worked in Bologna in the eighteenth century, to Margherita Hack and Samantha Cristoforetti.
The first Italian astronaut to go into space is also the protagonist of the documentary Astrosamantha, by Gianluca Cerasola, which takes the students through three years of Cristoforetti’s life: from the time she spent training for the mission to the adventure of orbiting the Earth with her team, through to the thrilling return home.
The last part of the course was devoted to the workshop entitled Imagined Universes: Science and Reality in the Viewfinder of Cinema, put on by Cinema Beltrade with the aim of helping teachers make best use of film in the classroom. Monica Naldi traced an extensive journey through the world of science, illustrating its ability to express the social and political hopes and fears of every generation for over a century. In particular, she examined its educational potential.