Our top picks on what to see at the second edition of the Imagine Science Abu Dhabi Film Festival this weekend.

Check out movies that are both brainy and beautiful at the Imagine Science Abu Dhabi Film Festival on Saadiyat Island. Hosted from February 18 to 20, the special three-day event will screen over thirty films (feature length and shorts) as well as host workshops, panel discussions, live musical performances and a sci-art exhibition all loosely based on the theme of ‘air’.

“The goal is to use film as a way of communicating different topics of science that are part of what is happening in Abu Dhabi and the Middle East,” says Alexis Gambis, founder of Imagine Science Abu Dhabi Film Festival.

“Featuring local artists and scientists, we hope to generate a discussion and dialogue between science and art, which we feel should be very much connected.”

The festival is free to attend but prior reservations are required. Be sure to arrive at least 30-minutes before screenings to guarantee seating.

February 18 to 20
NYU Art Center, Saadiyat Island, Abu Dhabi, free with prior registration, timings vary. Taxi: NYU Campus on Saadiyat Island. nyuad-artscenter.org

THREE FILMS NOT TO MISS…

1. The Visit by Michael Madsen

The Middle Eastern premiere of this documentary-like film asks how governments would react in the case of extraterrestrial contact.

Screening: February 20, 7.30pm to 10.30pm

2. Ice and Sky by Luc Jacquet

ice and the sky

Awarded the Blue Planet Prize, this movie tells the story of scientist Claude Lorius and his groundbreaking climate research in the Antarctic.

Screening: February 18, 7.30pm to 10.30pm

3. Planet Σ by Momoko Seto

PlanetSigma

Receiving an award at the Berlin Film Festival, this short gives you an insight into how planets are formed and stages of civilasation and global warming.

Time: February 18, 7.30pm to 10.30pm