Cinema for schoolchildren returns to the Velodrome to talk about robotics

The film chosen in collaboration with the Donostia International Physics Center is ‘Terra Willy: Planeta ezezaguna’ (Terra Willy: Unexplored Planet), which will screen dubbed into Basque

Thousands of girls and boys between the ages of 6 and 11 will return to the Velodrome to enjoy the screening of a film bridging the gap between the cinema and science in an activity co-organised by the San Sebastian Festival, the Donostia International Physics Center (DIPC) and the Filmoteca Vasca. With the slogan City of Cinema, City of Science, the goal of this collaboration is to convey a positive image of science to the local schoolchildren while highlighting the city’s strong connection to scientific research.

During the years of the pandemic, the activity was conveyed to classrooms in virtual format. This year, however, it returns full blast to the Velodrome renamed Ikastetxeak Belodromoan, with a proposal recovering the festive spirit and hoped to surprise the boys and girls.

The Velodrome’s giant screen will host the screening of Terra Willy: Planeta ezezaguna (Terra Willy: Unexplored Planet), an animated film directed by Eric Tosti about a boy forced to live on an unknown planet following an accident, with the help of a robot and an alien creature. The screening of the movie, dubbed into Basque, will be accompanied by a short and original introduction related to social robots, designed to interact and communicate with humans and to simplify different aspects of their lives, just like the robot in Terra Willy.

The event will therefore have the participation and collaboration of the robotics research group at the University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU) / Robotics and Autonomous Systems (RSAT), led by the professor and researcher Elena Lazkano in the company of computer experts and researchers Igor Rodriguez and Unai Zabala.

Since 2019, the screenings for schoolchildren programmed at the San Sebastian Festival enjoy the collaboration of the DIPC and of the Filmoteca Vasca. Prior to the pandemic, more than 13,000 students from some 80 schools attended the six screenings at the Velodrome, which this year returns to its usual format with morning showings on Friday September 16 and from Monday 19 until Friday 23 inclusive.