Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/448091
VI This Week maltatoday, Sunday, 18 January 2015 Euro Media Forum and Embassy Cinemas will be organising a Special Q&A with Simshar direc- tor Rebecca Cremona and actress Clare Agius, on January 20, immediately following the 20:55 screening of the film at Embassy Cinemas, Valletta. Directed by Rebecca Cremona, Simshar is a 2014 Maltese feature film inspired by the events that occurred on that ill-fated boat, the Simshar. The drama was selected as Malta's first ever entry for the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar race, at the 87th Academy Awards. The film, however, failed to make it to the short-list. The speakers will delve into their experience while working on the film from the financial and creative development process, the production and post-production phases. The Q&A Discussion will be held in the English language. This will be followed by a Sim- shar film quiz where members of the audience will have the oppor- tunit y to win prizes. Bookings at at the Embassy Cin- emas Valletta box of fice, on 2122 2225 or online www.embassycom- plex.com.mt Sci-fi symposium to be held in Malta in July The Science Fiction academic sym- posium, set to take place at the New Dolmen Hotel between July 17-18, will be a platform for academics from various disciplines and science fiction fans to meet and explore the intersection of the humanities and the sciences. The symposium will feature presentations from national and international speakers, with the pro- gramme tailored to attract a wide audience, including readers of sci-fi literature and enthusiasts of the genre in various media. Contribu- tors will be encouraged to explore and present contemporary issues in medicine, science and technology as well as philosophical, psychologi- cal and sociological issues relating to the humanities with a specific focus on and a direct correlation to science fiction. For the purposes of this symposium, books, films and TV series will be mainly explored, however the organisers feel that popular SF series and movies such as Star Trek and Star Wars will be given due prominence by the speak- ers themselves. The event follows on from an aca- demic symposium on Star Trek held in Malta last year. It was the first of its kind to happen worldwide, and was a success, drawing participation from international scholars from several countries, including Jason Eberl, the American philosopher, and Neena Modi, neonatologist and BMJ (British Medical Journal) Ethics Committee Chairperson in the UK. This differed from the traditional fan-based conventions usually held globally and involved serious dis- cussion on a wide variety of topics related to Star Trek and medicine, science and philosophy. This gave the organisers the im- petus to put together this particular event with a wider scope in order to target a broader range of SF. Prof. Victor Grech and David Zammit have been science fiction fans from a very young age and their passion for SF led them to organise such events. Furthermore, Grech and Mariella Scerri are finalising a book featuring the papers presented at the Star Trek Symposium, and will be published in the coming months. These two events will hopefully lend themselves to another bigger event next year. 2016 marks the 50th anniversary from the launch of the Star Trek Original Series, and in commemoration, the organisers will create another Star Trek sympo- sium. The event will be held under the auspices of HUMS, a programme at the University of Malta that has been set up to explore and encour- age the interfaces between the hu- manities, medicine and the sciences. It aims to facilitate and disseminate cross-disciplinary research. Malta offers a strategic location for this kind of activity to take place and indeed, the Maltese Islands have been an important meeting place for various Mediterranean and non- Mediterranean cultures throughout the ages. Maltese history is replete with cultural admixture which is an added bonus to the international scope of this symposium. Malta's sun, beaches and summer are an added incentive for those who want to combine an academic experi- ence with local culture, history and entertainment. The Science Fiction Symposium is an event that will ap- peal to scientists and fans of science fiction alike. For more information on the event, log on to: http://www.scifisymposium.com/ Simshar returns to the screen Euro Media Forum organise Q&a discussion with director rebecca Cremona Simshar director Rebecca Cremona Star Trek and beyond at the sci-fi symposium