Watch: 6 Science Short Films Created by Flatiron Institute Researchers and Filmmakers
What do hinge proteins, gravitational waves and amino acids all have in common? They all become unlikely protagonists in six short films co-directed by filmmakers and scientists at the Simons Foundation’s Flatiron Institute over two whirlwind weeks. The films are now available to stream.
The films were created as part of the Symbiosis program last May. The Symbiosis model of pairing scientists with filmmakers was originally developed by Alexis Gambis, founder of Labocine, a research and streaming platform home to the “Science New Wave,” a movement reimagining science through cinema. For the last several years, the competition has been featured as the “main event” of the annual Imagine Science Film Festival’s closing night.
This year’s Symbiosis program is a component of the Simons Foundation’s Researcher Engagement program, an initiative of the foundation’s Science, Society & Culture division. Researcher Engagement is a formal way to connect members of the foundation’s scientific community with public engagement opportunities. This year, Symbiosis was reimagined and tweaked for Flatiron Institute scientists interested in exploring new, collaborative ways to explore some of the big questions at the center of their research. The program was extended from one to two weeks, but the essence remained the same: Six scientists were paired with six filmmakers and tasked with creating short, boundary-pushing films.
The scientist-filmmaker duos fanned out across New York City, filming in subway stations, public parks and inside apartments. Some films looked to the stars and beyond, while others turned inward toward the proteins within our cells and the emotional connections that shape us. Each film was made in the spirit of co-creation. The process of creating the films — experts in seemingly disparate disciplines exploring what connects them — was as important as the final products.
The program began with a mixer where filmmakers and scientists met and explored potential shared interests. Official pairings were then announced, and a two-week production sprint began, moving rapidly from concept development to filming and editing. A midpoint lab session allowed teams to share updates and receive feedback, while organizers took a hands-off approach, encouraging each duo to chart their own creative direction.
The six films premiered on Monday, May 19, to a sold-out audience at Firehouse: DCTV’s Cinema for Documentary Film in Tribeca. The films are now available to stream here. You can find links to the films, as well as brief descriptions and credits, below.
Over the next few weeks, we’ll spotlight each of these films and filmmaker/scientist duos on our website and social media.
Beyond the 20
Beyond the 20 is a poetic science essay film exploring the natural boundary between New York City’s built environment and molecular engineering design challenges. Shot primarily on Super 8, the film layers nostalgic texture with speculation, imagining a world beyond the canonical 20 amino acids. Layered between stop-motion animation, cyanotypes and digital renderings, the film explores the keys to shaping molecules with purpose. The film reflects on curiosity, limitations, and what lies just beyond the edges of nature’s design.
Vikram Mulligan, Research Scientist, Center for Computational Biology, Flatiron Institute, Simons Foundation
John Marty, Filmmaker
Did You Know That Space Can Sing?
In an office in New York City, Carrie Filion makes galaxies sing. Using sonification, she builds up an audible representation of our universe, adding a new dimension to how we perceive space.
Carrie Filion, Flatiron Research Fellow, Center for Computational Astrophysics, Flatiron Institute, Simons Foundation
Em Oliver, Filmmaker
How to Connect Two Bodies
Through the principles of hinge protein design, How to Connect Two Bodies is an experimental documentary exploring the invisible choreography in meaningful connections of objects across various scales.
Bargeen Turzo, Flatiron Research Fellow, Center for Computational Biology, Flatiron Institute, Simons Foundation
Grace Zhang, Writer, Director, Producer, Editor
Molecular Duet
Molecular Duet brings to life the dynamic world of microtubules, the cell’s structural filaments that assemble and disassemble in a rhythm scientists call dynamic instability. This is an exploration through the lens of both microscopy and molecular simulations with poetic visual storytelling. The film invites viewers to witness how beauty emerges from instability and order dances with chaos even within the smallest scale of life.
Mahsa Mofidi, Flatiron Research Fellow, Center for Computational Biology, Flatiron Institute, Simons Foundation
Anne Sofie Nørskov, Filmmaker, Video Editor
Who Cares About Gravitational Waves?
Far off in the universe, two black holes smash into each other and send waves through space-time. Waves that we can’t feel, can’t touch, and are hard to predict. So who cares? Lieke van Son walks through the streets of Manhattan to reveal ways these gravitational waves are already a part of your daily life.
Lieke van Son, Flatiron Research Fellow, Center for Computational Astrophysics, Flatiron Institute, Simons Foundation
Kyle Finnegan, Documentary Filmmaker, Creative Director
Self Interacting Dark Matter
The more she studies dark matter, the more a lonely astrophysics student must confront the gravity of her inner world.
Lucia Perez, Flatiron Research Fellow, Center for Computational Astrophysics, Flatiron Institute, Simons Foundation
Na’ama Keha, Filmmaker
This article was updated on July 1, 2025, to include the short film Self Interacting Dark Matter.
