Jakarta. The annual Science Film Festival returned to Jakarta on Wednesday (09/11) to inspire and motivate Indonesian students to learn about science and technology.

Entering its seventh year, the festival runs until Nov. 25, this time with the theme "Material Science." A total of thirteen films will be screened in the next few weeks.

There will also be a series of workshops, exhibitions, contests and interactive programs targeted at young people interested in science and technology.

"We hope the festival will motivate young students, we want to create a space for them to experiment and watch films that will inspire them," Heinrich Blomeke from the Goethe-Institut said during a press conference at the Ministry of Education and Culture office on Wednesday (9/11).

The festival saw more than 50,000 visitors in Indonesia in 2015. This year, SFF will come to 26 cities across Indonesia, including Jakarta, Aceh, Magelang, Jayapura and Batam.

The festival is running from Oct. 1 to Dec. 18 in 15 countries in Southeast Asia, Africa and the Middle East, from Egypt to the Philippines.

For its competitions, SFF appoints local juries made up of representatives from science, film and school communities in each country.

Films are carefully selected to be both educative and entertaining, ranging from documentaries to animation.

From using to inventing

According to Bosch Indonesia President Director Ralf Von Baer, Indonesians are great at adapting new technology but still lags behind other countries when it comes to invention.

"Film festivals like SFF are very important. In Indonesia, we see technology everyday — we’re surrounded by it. But how can we motivate young people not only to use it, but also to invent and create new ones? Films are a great way to motivate the younger generation, films bring people together because it’s always fun to watch," Von Baer said.

Similar sentiments were also voiced by Siemens Indonesia President Director Josef Winter, who finds that film festivals are a great way to engage the public and attract young people to study science and engineering.

"We want to excite people, to make them fall in love with science and engineering. We at Siemens believe this film festival is a great opportunity to do just that," Winter said.

Totok A. Sofijanto, a Deputy Director in Academic Research at Paramadina University, said he wants the younger generation to take more risks and get out of their comfort zone.

"We need to have a solid understanding of science.There are so many talented young people in Indonesia, and we need a festival like this to inspire them," Totok said.

Initiated in 2005 by the Goethe-Institut in Thailand, SFF is one of the German cultural association's biggest projects and has since been expanded to include many more countries.
The festival is targeted at children aged 9 to 14 years as well as adults.
Science Film Festival 2016 is a collaboration between the Goethe-Institut, Bosch, Siemens, the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany in Jakarta, Schulen: Partner der Zukunft, Sahid Hotels, The Ministry of Education and Culture of Indonesia, Satya Wacana Christian University Salatiga and Paramadina University.

The Jakarta Globe is a media partner of the festival.

For more information, visit http://sciencefilmfestival.org.

sumber:

http://jakartaglobe.id/features/science-film-festival-returns-inspire-children-become-scientists/