What happens when aliens land – and the first thing we need isn’t a weapon, but a linguist? Join us for another “Science. Art. Film.” night where science meets cinema, language meets the unknown – and Amy Adams saves the world with syntax.

Wednesday, 19 November, 6pm, @Arc Cinema of the National Film and Sound Archive of Australia: https://tickets.nfsa.gov.au/Events/Science-Art-Film-Arrival.

This is a screening of Denis Villeneuve’s hauntingly beautiful sci-fi masterpiece “Arrival”, followed by a live panel discussion that’s anything but alienating — with Dr Ksenia Gnevsheva, a linguist who studies accents, identity and how we perceive each other through speech, and Professor Ken Lampl, a film composer trained by the John Williams (yes, that one). Expect insights into: Why aliens might sound funny (and why that matters) 🐙 How film music shapes our emotional response to the unknown 🐙 What sci-fi can teach us about real-world science communication 🐙 🤓

Come for the aliens. Stay for the semiotics. Leave with your brain delightfully scrambled.