Nobelity
Nobelity | |
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Directed by | |
Edited by | Chet Hirsch |
Distributed by | Monterey Media |
Release date |
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Language | English |
Nobelity is a feature documentary which looks at the world's most pressing problems through the eyes of
The film interviews each of the nine Nobel Prize winners discussing their vision for the world over the next 50 years.
Nobelity was premiered at the 2006
The Laureates
Steve Weinberg, Nobel Prize in Physics, 1979
Steven Weinberg holds the Josey Regental Chair in Science at the University of Texas at Austin, where he is a member of the Physics and Astronomy Departments. His research on elementary particles and cosmology has been honored with numerous prizes and awards. In 1979, he received the Nobel Prize in Physics for his development of a field theory that unifies the weak and electromagnetic nuclear forces within the atom.
In 1991, Weinberg was presented the
Among his many writings on theoretical physics are several books for scientists and lay readers alike, including The First Three Minutes, an eye-opening look at the origins of social commentary, and for his views on the essential role of science in society. Many of his writings on these and other subjects have appeared in The New York Review of Books.
"Science can tell you how to achieve certain things if you want to achieve them," Dr. Weinberg told Turk Pipkin during their conversations for Nobelity, "but it can’t tell you what you ought to achieve. There is an unbridgeable gulf between questions of what is and questions of what ought to happen."
Weinberg also works closely with the Union of Concerned Scientists, an independent non-profit alliance of more than 100,000 concerned citizens and scientists which augments scientific analysis with innovative thinking and committed citizen advocacy to build a cleaner, healthier environment and a safer world.
Richard E. Smalley, Nobel Prize in Chemistry, 1996
Dr.
Smalley's interest in science began in his early teens, and he has been an eloquent spokesman for the need to educate a new generation of scientists to find solutions to the world's problems. "Be a Scientist — Save the World" was the title of his lecture on the great energy challenges we face in the coming decades. Finding a new source of clean and reliable energy," he argued, "would enable us to solve numerous other world problems, including the need for clean water and plentiful food."
"There are good things about challenges," Smalley told Turk Pipkin while filming at Smalley's office at Rice University. "Challenge brings forth the best instincts of our youth and ourselves, and urges us on to develop technologies that would otherwise not get developed, so I see this as a good opportunity for the nation to seize on, and frankly for the world."
After a long battle with leukemia, Smalley died at age 62 on October 28, 2005.
Dr. Harold E. Varmus, Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, 1989
Former Director of the
"As a fraction of our gross national product, the U.S. is at the bottom of the 22 wealthiest nations on a list of donors," he pointed out to Turk Pipkin during filming for Nobelity. "Furthermore, only one-eighth of our foreign aid goes to health, and it doesn’t all go to the poorest countries."
In 1989, Varmus was awarded the
Varmus is also the co-founder of the
Jody Williams, Nobel Peace Prize, 1997
Along with the
The treaty has since been signed by 152 countries (but not the U.S.), and more than 1,100 square kilometers of land have been cleared, destroying 4 million anti-personnel mines, nearly 1 million anti-vehicle mines, and many more millions of pieces of unexploded ordnance. Adding to these accomplishments, 62 million stockpiled anti-personnel mines have been destroyed.
In addition to being the chief strategist and spokesperson for the Campaign, Williams is an eloquent speaker on human rights, on the role of civil society in international diplomacy, and on individual initiative in bringing about social change.
"Every act you take on this planet contributes in one way or another to an outcome," says Jody. "When we launched the mine ban, we didn’t know what we would accomplish. But we did know it was the right thing to do."
Ahmed Zewail, Nobel Prize in Chemistry, 1999
The Linus Pauling Professor of Chemistry at the California Institute of Technology, Ahmed Zewail was educated in his native Egypt before moving to America to attend Alexandria University and the University of Pennsylvania, where he received his PhD.
Zewail was awarded the 1999 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his seminal work in the field of femtochemistry, which made it possible to observe molecular changes measured in femtoseconds, a measurement equal to a millionth of a billionth of a second. This work has greatly expanded our understanding of molecular structure and the dynamics of matter, and has led to entire new fields of practical applications in technology and life sciences.
Wangari Maathai, Nobel Peace Prize, 2004
The first environmentalist to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, Prof.
Sir Joseph Rotblat, Nobel Peace Prize, 1995
Born in
Amartya Sen, Nobel Prize in Economics, 1998
Indian economist Amartya Sen is one of the world's leading authorities on human development, human rights and the causes of famine. Currently[when?] the Lamont University Professor of Economics and Philosophy at Harvard University, Sen is the author of numerous books, including the landmark work, Development as Freedom, in which he demonstrates that famine is not caused by a lack of food, but by an inability to purchase or acquire food due to poverty or a lack of a variety of freedoms.
Desmond Tutu, Nobel Peace Prize, 1984
After the fall of apartheid, Tutu headed the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, which was widely credited with helping South Africa avoid revenge oriented bloodshed following the fall of apartheid.
Festivals and awards
- Winner of the Audience Choice Award at the Tahoe/Reno Int'l Film Festival
- Official Selection Maui Film Festival
- Official Selection SXSW Film Festival
- Official Selection Global Peace Film Festival
- Official Selection Maui Film Festival
- Official Selection Lauderdale Int'l Film Festival
- Official Selection Sustainability Documentary Film Festival
Current projects
While filming at a school in Kenya which had no water or electricity, Pipkin was inspired to join with his wife in a larger endeavor, the education and action charity, The Nobelity Project, dedicated to a better world for children everywhere. The Project has also produced a sequel to Nobelity, One Peace at a Time, which focuses on solutions to the problems chronicled in the first film. Proceeds from the films serve as an endowment for current and future education projects, including Mahiga Hope High School; A high school in rural Kenya built by the Nobelity Project, and the subject of their 3rd feature documentary Building Hope
References
- ^ "Austinist". Archived from the original on 2010-02-03. Retrieved 2008-09-23.
This article includes a list of general references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations. (September 2014) |
- Planet Make-Over[dead link]
- Austin American Statesman
- Austin American Statesman
- The New York Times
- Esquire Magazine[permanent dead link]
- The Austin Chronicle
- efilmcritic.com
- nobelprize.org
- nuclearfiles.org
- nobelprize.org
- Britannica.com
- icbl.org
- faqs.com
- Britannica.com
- pbs.org
- nobelity.org
External links
- Official website (nobelity.org)