Dialogue: Julian Antos of the Chicago Film Society will talk us through the science of film emulsion after the screening.
Monday, March 23, 6:00 p.m. | What happens when you bury reels of film in a landfill or raw film stock in a former nuclear accident evacuation zone? How about submerging film in a crab trap off the coast of South Carolina? This program showcases films born out of these experiments, as well as more intense chemical interventions that obscure, distort, or even completely remove images from film strips. Julian Antos of the Chicago Film Society will talk us through the science of film emulsion after the screening.
Program includes sound of a million insects, light of a thousand stars by Tomonari Nishikawa, REMOVED by Naomi Uman, WHAT THE WATER SAID NOS. 4-6 by David Gatten, TWILIGHT PSALM II: WALKING DISTANCE by Phil Solomon, and LANDFILL 16 by Jennifer Reeves.
Presented as part of OFF CENTER: OFF CENTER is a basement. OFF CENTER is a backyard. OFF CENTER is a place to come hang and experience weird films together in the spirit of DIY filmmaking and the microcinema. Programmed by Michael Wawzenek.
Science on Screen® | March 23–April 2, 2026
This March, in our fifth year of Science on Screen® programming, the Siskel Film Center presents three films that mix chemicals, shock the status quo, and swap faces—literally—as we explore the science of film, human behavior, and high-stakes identity crises, with experts on hand to break down the real-world wonder behind every experiment, transformation, and on-screen absurdity. Science on Screen® is an initiative of the COOLIDGE CORNER THEATRE, with major support from the ALFRED P. SLOAN FOUNDATION.
The Film Center is ADA accessible. This presentation will be projected without open captions. The theater is hearing-loop equipped. For accessibility requests, please email filmcenter@saic.edu