It’s not everyday that you get to announce you are having a “World Premiere.”
Next month at the SXSW film festival in Austin, Texas, the lights will dim on a Sunday afternoon in a theater seating hundreds of people, and appearing on screen will be the first feature-length documentary produced with the support of iBiology. The film, entitled Human Nature, tells the story of one of the biggest breakthroughs in recent science, the the revolutionary genetic engineering technology known as CRISPR. iBiology team members Sarah Goodwin and Elliot Kirschner are Producers on the film, and many on the iBiology team helped with production shoots and feedback screenings. Human Nature plunges headfirst into the nuances of microbial immune systems and the surprising and serendipitous path of discovery by talking to the women and men whose research made all this possible. The film also zooms out to consider the much broader, and sometimes controversial, social implications.
As CRISPR crests into global consciousness, it is vital that the ethical debate that ensues is based on science and not hyperbole. Ultimately CRISPR is a tool, albeit one with great power, and it will be up to us as humans to determine how we will use its potential. We hope this film, which also counts journalism icon Dan Rather as an Executive Producer, will spur conversations and further exploration from diverse lay and scientific audiences.
We are still in discussions about an ultimate plan for distribution and hope to have more news on that soon. To find out more, please check out the film's website and we will keep you informed about how you can see this film and join the conversation around this important topic.
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