EIFF 2011 - Five to try: Reel Science

Our picks for the Edinburgh International Film Festival's outsider strands
Oi! Get Your Grubby Hands out of My Brain
A film-initiated debate about the growing commercial application of neuro-imaging, epigenetics and other futuristically-named brain technologies. Do you really want to know if you are going to pass on madness to your children? Or if a degenerative mental illness awaits you in old age? And is this form of mental profiling marketable or even ethical or legal? These questions and more will be up for discussion.
Filmhouse, Sat 25 Jun, 1.15pm.
Project Nim
Director James Marsh’s documentary about the research programme to try and teach a chimpanzee to talk. The screening on Mon 20 Jun will be followed by a discussion with a bio-ethicist.
Cameo, Sat 18 Jun, 5.30pm. George Square Theatre, Mon 20 Jun, 6pm.
Rich Pickings: Disappearing Act
Short films exploring dementia, followed by a discussion with filmmakers, scientists and those who have experienced dementia.
Inspace, Sat 18 Jun, 5pm. Free but ticketed.
Oliver Sacks: Tales of Music and the Brain
A screening of a documentary about neurologist Dr Oliver Sacks’ book Musicophila: Tales of Music and the Brain, in which Alan Yentob probes the good doctor’s thoughts on the neurological effects of music. The film will be followed by a discussion led by Dr Katie Overy (Institute for Music in Human and Social Development) and Nigel Osborne (Reid Professor of Music, University of Edinburgh).
Filmhouse, Fri 17 Jun, 5.30pm.
Pandemic Double-Bill: 28 Days Later and Panic in the Streets
Two classics of epidemic cinema followed by a discussion led by a member of the Centre for Infectious Diseases, University of Edinburgh.
Filmhouse, Sun 26 Jun, 3pm.