New York City · November 2026
Where discovery
takes center stage
Our mission is to humanize science and bring fact-based experts to the forefront of popular culture by celebrating the best science storytelling in the world.
Friday, November 6 On stage at the awards ceremony
Science Under Siege
Panel with Dr. Michael E. Mann and Dr. Barry Barish, moderated by Les Guthman
An Asteroid Named Kate Bush
Excerpt — Jan Rosenberg and their original cast
Einstein! The Play
Excerpt — Jack Fry
Tickets
Buy tickets Press with credentials do not need one. Discounted hotel rates are available.
The four days
- Opening night
- Film screenings10am–2pm
- Social7pmLocation to be announced
- Film screenings10am–4pm
- Red carpet
- Awards ceremony
- Reception
- Navigating Festivals and Distribution with My Short Film11amSandrine Cassidy, Ben Thompson, Karma Masselli
- The Beauty of Science: Storytelling, “Made in Italy”12pmBarbara Bernardini, PhD
- Catching Particle Fever1pmMark Levinson
- EINSTEIN! The Play2–3:30pm
Screening and workshop schedule
- 10:00 amDoor KnockingJury AwardStudent Dramatic < 40United States▶ TrailerFilm website ↗14 min
- 10:15 amBlue BloodJury AwardStudent Documentary < 40United Kingdom▶ Trailer23 min
- 10:39 amFull CircleJury AwardProfessional Dramatic < 40Canada13 min
- 10:53 amB Cells: A Chemotherapy PoemOfficial SelectionUnited States3 min
- 10:57 amSound & ColorIndustry AwardBest Visual EffectsUnited StatesInstagram ↗15 min
- 11:13 amIn Search of a Frozen OceanIndustry AwardRaw Frontier AwardCanada▶ Trailer39 min
- 11:53 amConstellations of the SeaIndustry AwardYouth Documentary < 40United StatesFilm website ↗13 min
- 12:07 pmThe Last File: An Obscura Index FilmIndustry AwardBest New MediaUnited StatesFilm website ↗3 min
- 12:11 pmSmile, LazuroIndustry AwardBest Comedic ShortUnited States8 min
- 12:20 pmSqueezed Light: Breaking the Quantum LimitIndustry AwardKip Thorne Gravity Award for Best Depiction of a Scientific PrincipleFilmmaker Les GuthmanUnited StatesFilm website ↗36 min
- 12:57 pmThe Universe in a Grain of SandIndustry AwardBest Documentary FeatureFilmmaker Mark LevinsonUnited States▶ TrailerFilm website ↗1 hr 13 min
- 10:00 amMatriclysm: An Archaeology of Connections LostIndustry AwardBest Public ArtUnited States11 min
- 10:12 amShape of Ice, Color of WaterIndustry AwardRaw Poetry of Science AwardUnited States7 min
- 10:20 amBugIndustry AwardBest Microscopic MediaFrance▶ Trailer8 min
- 10:29 amMarks of TimeIndustry AwardRaw Radiance AwardSweden8 min
- 10:38 amPlant LifeJury AwardProfessional Documentary < 40United States22 min
- 11:05 amInconceivableJury AwardProfessional Documentary > 40United States▶ TrailerFilm website ↗1 hr 21 min
- 12:26 pmQ&A with the filmmakers
- 12:46 pmLunch
- 1:30 pmA Beautiful Mind, 25th AnniversaryIndustry AwardLynda Obst Award for Best PictureUnited States2 hr 15 min
- 3:45 pmQ&A with the filmmakers
- 4:00 pmBreak
- 5:00 pmRed carpet and press line
- 6:00 pmAwards ceremony
- 10:00 amProgramTo be announced
- 11:00 amNavigating Festivals and Distribution with My Short FilmWorkshopWith Sandrine Cassidy, Ben Thompson and Karma MasselliSandrine Cassidy, 2026 Jury — Senior Director of Festival, Distribution and Talent Development, USC School of Cinematic ArtsBen Thompson — VP of Shorts Programming, Tribeca Film Festival; has watched more than 14,000 shorts for TribecaKarma Masselli — Founder and director of Shorts Movie Theater in Brooklyn, the only theater in the world just for short films
- 12:00 pmThe Beauty of Science: Storytelling, “Made in Italy”WorkshopLed by Barbara Bernardini, PhDScientist turned writer and director for Italian television and documentary film
About the workshop
Science matters to everyone. But not everyone knows why they should care. For science filmmakers, the challenge is not just making complex ideas understandable: science is not necessarily a story in itself, and capturing an audience’s attention requires much more than accurate information.
Drawing on more than 25 years of experience, from scientific research to writing and directing for Italian television and documentary filmmaking, I will share the personal lessons I have learned along a journey that has witnessed profound changes in the Italian and international media landscape, from traditional broadcasting to digital platforms and AI.
How can filmmakers uncover the stories hidden within science? How have television and digital storytelling influenced each other? And how can we create engaging, original films while remaining faithful to scientific evidence and our responsibility to the public? Through personal experiences, practical examples and an open exchange with fellow filmmakers, this workshop explores possible ways to find the beauty of science and turn it into stories worth watching.
- 1:00 pmCatching Particle FeverTalkWith Mark LevinsonPhysicist turned filmmaker. After a PhD in physics at UC Berkeley he moved into film, directing Particle Fever, about the discovery of the Higgs boson, The Bit Player, about Claude Shannon, and The Universe in a Grain of Sand, this year’s Best Documentary Feature. He received the inaugural Stephen Hawking Medal for Science Communication in 2016.
- 2:00 pmEINSTEIN! The PlayPerformanceWritten and performed by Jack FryAbout the playeinsteintheplay.com ↗1 hr 30 min
See all 2026 film winners, with trailers, on the 2026 festival films page.
Tickets
On sale now. Credentialed press do not need a ticket — see press access below. Discounted hotel rates are available for festival guests.
Scan to buy tickets
The awards ceremony
Every 2026 award is announced from the stage at the Bruno Walter Auditorium, the festival's only night at Lincoln Center. The evening opens with a red carpet and press line, and closes with a VIP reception.
The auditorium is at 40 Lincoln Center Plaza, entrance at 111 Amsterdam Avenue between 64th and 65th Streets.
- 5:00 – 6:00 pmRed carpet and press line
- 6:00 – 8:00 pmAwards ceremonyThree staged items run between the award announcements:
- On stageScience Under SiegePanelWith Dr. Michael E. Mann and Dr. Barry Barish, moderated by Les Guthman
- On stageAn Asteroid Named Kate BushExcerptPerformed by Jan Rosenberg and their original cast — a short excerpt, not the full play
- On stageEinstein! The PlayExcerptPerformed by Jack Fry — a short excerpt; the full play is staged on November 7 at the Triad Theater
- 8:00 – 9:30 pmVIP reception
Science Under Siege
How to fight the five most powerful forces that threaten our world
A panel on the book, written with Peter J. Hotez, and the five forces behind the modern anti-science movement. Moderated by Les Guthman.
Michael E. MannPresidential distinguished professor of earth and environmental science at the University of Pennsylvania, and director of the Penn Center for Science, Sustainability and the Media.
Barry Barish2017 Nobel Prize in Physics for his leadership of LIGO's discovery of the first coalescing black holes and their gravitational waves. Linde Professor of Physics, emeritus, at Caltech.
Les Guthman ModeratorAward-winning documentary director, writer, producer and production executive. Raw Science Board of Advisors.
Friday, November 6, 2026
Bruno Walter Auditorium at Lincoln Center,
The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts
EINSTEIN!
Saturday, November 7 · 2:00–3:30 pm
Triad Theater NY · 158 W 72nd St
Jack Fry's award-winning solo play follows Albert Einstein through his early years in Berlin as he fights to prove general relativity, with the First World War, a sceptical scientific establishment and a family coming apart closing in around him.
Written and performed by Jack Fry, directed by Tom Blomquist. EINSTEIN! won the Best Public Art Award at the 2025 Raw Science Film Festival; an excerpt is also staged at the awards ceremony on November 6.
Funny, touching, intimate… a triumph!The Huffington Post
Triad Theater NY
158 W 72nd St, New York, NY 10023
A cabaret-style venue on the Upper West Side, between Columbus and Amsterdam. It was the original home of Forbidden Broadway, Forever Plaid, Spamilton and Celebrity Autobiography, and the stage where Lady Gaga made her professional debut.
Upper West Side
Seating is cabaret-style and unreserved outside the VIP block, so arrive early. The 1, 2 and 3 trains stop at 72nd St and Broadway; the B and C stop at 72nd St and Central Park West.
Who is here
Dr. Michael E. Mann
Panel — Science Under Siege
Presidential distinguished professor at the University of Pennsylvania and director of the Penn Center for Science, Sustainability and the Media. He contributed to the work recognised by the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize and was elected to the US National Academy of Sciences in 2020. Event details
Dr. Barry Barish
Panel — Science Under Siege
Winner of the 2017 Nobel Prize in Physics for his leadership of LIGO's discovery of the first coalescing black holes and their gravitational waves. Linde Professor of Physics, emeritus at Caltech, where he taught for four decades.
Jon Halperin
President of the Jury — Film
An animation and documentary director, producer and writer who has told science stories, horror stories, adventure stories and history stories — sometimes all at once. He leads the 2026 film jury and presides over the final award decisions. Biography
Dr. Helen Berman
Board of Advisors
Distinguished Professor Emerita of Chemistry and Chemical Biology at the University of Southern California and a co-founder of the Protein Data Bank. Executive producer of the HIV-prevention documentary Target Zero and a member of the National Academy of Sciences. Board of Advisors
Sandrine Cassidy
2026 Jury
Senior Director of Festival, Distribution and Talent Development at the USC School of Cinematic Arts, where she has guided students and alumni through festival strategy since 1998. A producer of award-winning shorts and features, she has served on the Tribeca Festival screening committee since 2015. Biography
Ben Thompson
Workshop — Festivals and distribution
VP of Shorts Programming at the Tribeca Film Festival. A graduate of Aberystwyth University, he left Wales and London for New York, where his early interest in short-form storytelling as a filmmaker grew into a passion for programming. He travels to find new stories from around the globe and has watched more than 14,000 short films for Tribeca alone.
Karma Masselli
Workshop — Festivals and distribution
Founder and director of Shorts Movie Theater in Brooklyn, the only theater in the world just for short films, and a member of Art House New York and Art House Convergence. With Shorts, she won the 2025 Brooklyn Public Library Business Plan Competition. She is also a theater and film director (NYU Tisch ’19).
Barbara Bernardini, PhD
Workshop — The Beauty of Science
Scientist turned writer and director for Italian television and documentary film, with more than 25 years of experience spanning scientific research, traditional broadcasting and digital platforms. Her workshop on Saturday, November 7 looks at how to find the stories hidden within science.
Mark Levinson
Special filmmaker guest
Physicist turned filmmaker, director of Particle Fever, The Bit Player and The Universe in a Grain of Sand (2026 Best Documentary Feature), and a recipient of the inaugural Stephen Hawking Medal for Science Communication in 2016. Biography
Photo: Scott Dressel-Martin, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons — cropped
Rhashad Lawery
Special guest
Entrepreneur, technology founder, digital creator and UC Berkeley student in economics and data science. Founder and CEO of Lumo, an AI company focused on improving how complex physical environments operate. A Top 10 finalist on MasterChef Junior Season 7, he has since built an audience of more than 367,000 across TikTok and Instagram, working across technology, entrepreneurship, media and science communication. Instagram · TikTok
Kevin R. Grazier, Ph.D.
Board of Advisors
Planetary scientist and science advisor for film and television. Biography
Namir Khaliq
Board of Advisors
Founder of Protostellar Media, a production company built to help scientists tell stories. Biography
Les Guthman
Board of Advisors · Panel moderator
Award-winning documentary director, writer, producer and production executive. Biography
Full listings: 2026 Jury · 2026 Board · Festival team
Keri Kukral
Founder & Board Chair
Kukral is a biomedical engineer, film producer and former professional ballet dancer. She holds a degree in bioelectrical engineering from Purdue University and has built a long career in medical device product development. As a child she was hand-selected by Ruth Page from the Arie Crown Theater stage for a full scholarship to the Ruth Page Foundation, and went on to perform under directors including Larry Long, Mikhail Baryshnikov and Peter Anastos.
That path — STEM built on a foundation in the performing arts — shapes her conviction that the visual and performing arts are essential to engaging the public in science.
2026 winners
Each award is presented from the stage at the ceremony on Friday, November 6.
Jury Awards
Selected by the 2026 jury
Industry Awards
Official Selections
About the festival
- Edition
- 13th annual, 2026
- Dates
- November 4–7, 2026, New York City
- Awards ceremony
- Friday, November 6 — Bruno Walter Auditorium, The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, Lincoln Center
- Submissions
- Open through October 1, 2026 via FilmFreeway
- Non-profit status
- Fiscally sponsored member project of New York Live Arts, Inc.; contributions are tax-deductible
- Hashtag
- #RawScience2026
- Online
- rawsciencefilmfestival.com · IMDb
From the archive
Ceremony, screenings, performances and reception photography from previous years, free for editorial use with credit to the photographer and the Raw Science Film Festival.
See the full photo gallery — high-resolution files on request.
What press can cover
One credential covers screenings, the ceremony, the reception and scheduled interview time.
Red carpet & ceremony
Press line 5–6 pm, then reserved seating. The winners list is public and free to share.
VIP reception
Limited passes to the private reception straight after the awards.
Interviews
Filmmakers, jurors, winners and guests, booked in advance across all four days.
Screenings & workshops
Subject to house capacity. Screeners on request before the festival.
Stills & footage
Designated positions; broadcast crews by arrangement. Assets on request.
Images & archive
Photo gallery
Photography from previous festivals — ceremony, red carpet and audience.
View the galleryVideo
Past red carpet interviews, panels, ceremony footage and filmmaker conversations.
Watch on YouTubeLogos, film stills, headshots, award descriptions and high-resolution festival photography are available on request — say what format and resolution you need. info@rawsciencefilmfestival.com
Press credentials
How to apply
Email your outlet, your name and role, crew size if you are bringing one, and what you plan to cover. Ask about the VIP reception and interview slots in the same email — both are limited. Confirmations are issued on a rolling basis.
Requests close Friday, October 31, 2026.
info@rawsciencefilmfestival.com
Logos, stills and press assets: 2026 media kit. Discounted festival rates are held at several hotels — hotel discounts.
Media contact
Keri Kukral
Founder
keri@rawsciencefilmfestival.com
Please tag coverage #RawScience2026. X · Facebook · YouTube · IMDb
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