Science Fair

A group of us saw this wonderful documentary at Sundance and absolutely fell in love with the film and the students and the teachers who were featured. The Sundance audiences laughed and cried and clapped and gave the film a standing ovation at the end. We have seen many amazing documentaries in our lives but Science Fair was one of the most uplifting and inspiring documentaries we've have ever seen. The Sundance audiences voted Science Fair as the "Festival Favorite" from all the great films shown at Sundance, and the Portland Film Festival recently gave the film the "Best Documentary" award. A big thank you and congratulations to the directors, producers, students, and everyone else who made this film possible. Don't miss this wonderful film if it comes to your town...you will fall in love with Science Fair also! Science Fair is a definite 10.

The reviewer said this was the worst film at Sundance and misunderstood why audience members would cry at this film must lack basic human emotion. A truly uplifting, passionate, and intelligently crafted narrative that expertly explores the Intel science fair and the diverse lives of some of the children involved. I highly recommend it!

Science Fair was warmly-received at Austin's SXSW Film Festival. It details the experience of six different high school students (or teams of students) competing in the 2017 Intel International Science and Engineering (ISEP) Fair in Los Angeles. The documentary is well-filmed, edited and highly entertaining. The directors did an excellent job of finding charismatic and charming young people who were doing great research projects. These are great students who are super achievers. (Unfortunately, they are far from the typical students being produced by the American educational system today.) Science Fair is fun and charming documentary that a ray of sunlight in dark times.

I had to balance the 1 star review that precedes this one. This won the Audience Award at Sundance, so I can assure you that emotional response was truer than the cold hearted one expressed by Brian. An industry friend of mine was at the Sundance screenings and says it was a raucous room of joy. I saw this yesterday at the Portland IFF and that audience also had their hearts in their throats from the very start. The film smartly opens with undeniably great footage of a previous winner, a kid named Jack, whose unembarrassed nerdjoy just fills up the screen. The film takes off from there. If you respond to these youth competition documentaries (SPELLBOUND, FIRST POSITION) you will love this one too.

This is a beautiful tribute to the world of international science fairs and the high school students who participate in them. Following 9 students from around the world, the film gives viewers a glimpse into their lives as they navigate the challenges, disappointments, and unbridled joys of this unique experience - as a viewer you really come to care SO much about each of these nine teenagers. We saw the film at Sundance and every member of the audience was engaged throughout the entire film - laughing, crying, clapping - and a standing ovation from the entire theater at the end of the film. It was an utter joy to watch - highly recommended!