On April 14th, 2019, the Science and Technology Section of the 9th Beijing International Film Festival (BJIFF) announced the Best Scientific Communication Film: Mars: One Thousand One, Best Creativity Film: Great Barrier Reef Adventure, Best Special-Effect Design Film: Voyager: The Never-Ending Journey, Best Domestic Film: Wild Savanna and Best Audience Recommendation Film: Explore.

　　Mars: One Thousand One is a ball-screen film shot at 8K. This film recounts the first-ever manned mission to Mars in the near future, which has been a long-cherished dream of humanity. Reporter Miles O'Brien is reporting live from his Space Headquarters TV Studio in New York while events unfold for the crew on their 1001-day mission. Those astronauts will explore the red planet and expand our understanding of it. Besides, the aerospace launch and astronauts’ space life could be made better known.

　　As its name tells, Great Barrier Reef Adventure focuses on the gorgeous reef spanning off over 2,000 km the coast of Queensland, Australia. The reef is home to countless species of aquatic life. The film takes audiences on a journey into the undersea beauty of the reef. As the film puts, there are many citizen scientists helping us to understand this vibrant habitat. In the end, the film indicates that you can be such a scientist if you will. Don’t hesitate to watch it at the Giant Screen Theatre of China Science and Technology Museum (CSTM). You could encounter native Gemma Craig and swim with manta rays, sea turtles and minke whales! Take up your mask and snorkel and start an adventure!

　　Ball-screen film Voyager: The Never-Ending Journey depicts the most eye-catching space mission ever undertaken. In 1977, the twin probes were launched to explore the farthest planets of the solar system: Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune along with their moons. These space probes greatly deepened our understanding of those distant worlds. 40 years later, the probes have reached the interstellar space; and the data sent back by them might give us a hint about alien civilizations far away as the golden records have done about our species.

　　Wild Savanna is a 4D animation made by Shanghai Science and Technology Museum. This animation tells the fable of a little kid teleported from Shanghai Natural History Museum to the African savanna, where he transformed into a new-born wildebeest called Little Qi. It is an adventure and a journey of growth for him. Such thing happens from time to time on the savanna.

　　Perhaps many people wonder how a space shuttle accurately navigates to the space station at 20 times speed of sound. The dome show Explore narrates human colonization of the Mars. In the film, we can learn about not only scientific facts like geocentrism, heliocentrism and retrograde motion of some planets, but also delve into Johannes Kepler’s three laws of planetary motion. It inspires us to discover how humanity changes the world and benefits from doing so. Gee-whiz visual effects, tailor-made music and professional dubbing lead the audiences into another world.

　　The 9th BJIFF “Science and Technology Section” & the 9th CSTM Special Effect Film Screening will last to May 5th. For more information, please visit: https://s.wcd.im/v/2pmo1Z8j/