The UW-Madison Center for the Humanities is honored to sponsor the Wisconsin Film Festival and this showing of A Life Illuminated.
About the film: Go deep with this enthralling nature documentary, which fills the screen with jaw-dropping natural phenomena never seen before. A legend in her field, marine biologist Dr. Edie Widder has long been at the forefront of deep-sea research—in 2012, she was famously the first person to photograph a live giant squid in its habitat. For years, she has witnessed astounding displays of bioluminescence while on submersible dives, comparing this animal-generated lightshow to “the fourth of July.” But underwater cameras were never up to the task of capturing the full effect—until now. Descending 3,300 feet below the surface, Widder pursues the glowing mysteries of life on Earth. Thanks to incredible archival footage covering Widder’s trailblazing career as a woman in marine biology, this inspirational documentary doubles as a fascinating history of how technological breakthroughs have aided the evolution of undersea research. “Magical. Shot in exquisite 4K, which truly demands the big screen experience, A Life Illuminated takes audiences to profound depths of human discovery as Dr. Widder lets us experience the world anew through her research. This spectacular adventure reminds one of how small we are in the ocean of life, and all we can do is marvel at the complexity of the world before our eyes” (POV). (MK)
Presented with support from UW-Madison Center for the Humanities and the Wisconsin Institute for Discovery
About the Wisconsin Film Festival: Since 1999, the Wisconsin Film Festival has curated, promoted, and exhibited programs showcasing the art and the history of world cinema. Currently presented under the auspices of the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Department of Communication Arts, the Festival supports UW’s teaching, research, and public service mission by exposing the campus and the greater Madison community to films and filmmakers from Wisconsin and beyond. As cinema is an essential art form that enriches the human experience and enhances one’s knowledge of a variety of cultures, the Festival seeks to create a strong sense of community through curating a vast body of films and through the creation of gatherings before and after screenings that welcome diverse communities.