Sloan Science on Screen: “Overclockers”
The live talk will take place on this page, and a video recording will be posted here shortly afterward.
PROGRAM DETAILS
Live Q&A
Fri, Apr 9 at 10 am PST
Q&A
Description
SFFILM’s Sloan Science on Screen program presents Overclockers, in which the science of aeronautics comes into play as a young inventor develops a next-generation blimp. Join us for a deep dive into the science behind the film as San Francisco critic Michael Fox moderates a conversation between director/co-writer Michael Wnuk and Debbie G. Senesky, Stanford University Associate Professor of Aeronautics and Astronautics and Principal Investigator of the EXtreme Environment Microsystems Laboratory (XLab). Presented through a partnership between SFFILM and the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, this program is part of SFFILM’s Sloan Science in Cinema initiative, which enhances public understanding of science through the language of film.
Karol, a young aviator with a brilliant mind but limited means invents a next-generation zeppelin. Forming a partnership with his best friends from childhood and an enemy, Karol sacrifices everything to see his dream realized. But his exacting standards and a fundamental misunderstanding of his associates endanger the project, while his single-mindedness threatens his relationship with his girlfriend Justyna. Director/co-writer Michal Wnuk makes a buoyant feature debut with a drama that balances a portrait of stubborn ambition with the fascinating details of the object of his obsession.
Michal Wnuk began his career as an assistant director on features and as a TV writer. His films include What Doctors Say (2015), a short, and AGFA 1939, Journey Into War (2015), a documentary. Overclockers is his first feature.
Debbie G. Senesky is an Associate Professor at Stanford University in the Aeronautics and Astronautics Department and by courtesy, the Electrical Engineering Department. In addition, she is the Principal Investigator of the EXtreme Environment Microsystems Laboratory (XLab). Her research interests include the development of nanomaterials for extreme harsh environments, high-temperature electronics, and robust instrumentation for Venus exploration. She received the B.S. degree (2001) in mechanical engineering from the University of Southern California. She received the M.S. degree (2004) and Ph.D. degree (2007) in mechanical engineering from the University of California, Berkeley. Prof. Senesky recently chaired the 2018 Women in Aerospace Symposium (WIA2018) at Stanford University. In recognition of her research, she received the Emerging Leader Abie Award from AnitaB.org in 2018, Early Faculty Career Award from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) in 2012, Gabilan Faculty Fellowship Award in 2012, and Sloan Ph.D. Fellowship from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation in 2004.
Michael Fox is a San Francisco film journalist and critic whose outlets include KQED Arts & Culture and J. He teaches documentary classes at the OLLI programs at UC Berkeley and San Francisco State University, and curated and hosted the CinemaLit series at the Mechanics’ Institute for over a decade. Fox is a member of the San Francisco Bay Area Film Critics Circle and an inductee of SFFILM’s Essential SF.