Watch: 5 Math-Inspired Short Films Created by Flatiron Institute Researchers and Filmmakers
While mathematics may not seem like an obvious muse for storytelling, it is the language of the universe: a scaffolding that shapes how we understand the world around us and underpins all scientific research.
Last month, researchers at the Simons Foundation’s Flatiron Institute and New York City–based filmmakers paired up to co-create five unique, experimental short films inspired by math. The films, created as part of the Symbiosis initiative, premiered on Monday, April 27, at Firehouse: DCTV’s Cinema for Documentary Film in Tribeca. You can now stream the films here.
Originally developed by Labocine founder Alexis Gambis, Symbiosis pairs filmmakers with researchers to create short films over two weeks. Symbiosis ran as an independent project for several years before partnering with the Simons Foundation’s Science, Society & Culture (SSC) division in 2025.
This year’s films align with the Simons Foundation’s Infinite Sums initiative, which celebrates the “beauty of mathematics” and the fundamental role of math in culture and scientific discovery. Participants were challenged to view aspects of their own work through a mathematical lens and consider how they might be expressed through film.
For computational biophysicist Sonya Hanson and filmmaker partner Diego Murillo, this meant exploring the extreme survival limits of the microscopic tardigrade (also known as the water bear), which can endure dehydration by reducing its water content to less than 1 percent and dropping its metabolism to near zero. Together, they translated the story of this biological phenomenon and the mathematics involved to the big screen.
Symbiosis launched in March with a mixer for researchers and filmmakers to learn more about each other’s work and explore commonalities. Participants were then paired up, followed by a two-week production period. A midpoint lab session allowed pairs to share updates and get feedback from the rest of the cohort. The final products resulted from true cooperative partnerships, with the process as important as the resulting films.
Symbiosis is an offering of SSC’s Researcher Engagement program, which supports researchers in exploring creative ways to share their work and engage new audiences through collaborative, interdisciplinary storytelling.
In the coming weeks, each film and filmmaker-scientist duo will be highlighted on the Simons Foundation and Infinite Sums websites, as well as across our social channels. Links to the films, including brief descriptions and credits, are below.
electron_matter
electron_matter is a visual abstract film that examines the journey from a single electron to a collective quantum state. The film explores how quantum theory connects invisible behavior to the material world. electron_matter reflects on how energy, freedom and uncertainty shape solid material.
Olivier Gingras, Associate Research Scientist, Center for Computational Quantum Physics, Flatiron Institute, Simons Foundation
Yan Shao, Filmmaker
Absolute Zero
Absolute Zero follows the relationship between a New York City biologist and a microscopic, nearly indestructible being, the tardigrade. The film imagines a world in which the biologist can understand the creature’s inner voice, and the tardigrade emerges as an emotional presence longing to return to its origins. Absolute Zero reflects on themes of displacement, consciousness and the uncertain boundary between life and death.
Sonya M. Hanson, Research Scientist, Center for Computational Biology and Center for Computational Mathematics, Flatiron Institute, Simons Foundation
Diego Murillo, Filmmaker
Lacunae
Lacunae is a short experimental documentary examining translation as a process of selection and loss. Using digital video noise, a poem translated across multiple languages and erasure poetry, the film highlights how meaning is shaped by what is retained and what is discarded. Framed through an experiential approach, it considers the role of “noise” as both interference and information, suggesting that defining noise is itself a way of measuring detail. Incorporating mathematical ideas through equations of translation, the film focuses on what disappears and what emerges when information is transformed.
Lukas Devos, Flatiron Research Software Fellow, Center for Computational Quantum Physics, Flatiron Institute, Simons Foundation
Danya Abt, Filmmaker
MOSS
MOSS follows the endless feedback cycle at the heart of research: observing patterns in nature, building and making sense of models, and refining those models over time, while acknowledging that nature will always exceed what any model can capture. The film reflects on how scientific ideas are shaped by the world around us and the ideas that came before us, and how, in turn, they create the conditions for future ideas to take hold.
Marc Ritter, Flatiron Research Fellow, Center for Computational Quantum Physics, Flatiron Institute, Simons Foundation
Elsa Wong, Filmmaker
Concrete Cosmos
Concrete Cosmos examines connections between cosmic structures and everyday human environments. Drawing on astrophysics and sound, it explores how waves carry information across different scales, from gravitational signals in the universe to patterns in urban life. Through narration that bridges scientific and lived perspectives, the film highlights parallels between the cosmic web and human networks, focusing on how unseen frequencies shape our perception and understanding of the world.
Adrian Bayer, Flatiron Research Fellow, Center for Computational Astrophysics, Flatiron Institute, Simons Foundation
Adonis Williams, Filmmaker
