Join Cultural Programs of the NAS and the DC Environmental Film Festival for a special screening of the award-winning film OBSERVER. The file is the winner of this year’s Flo Stone and Roger D. Stone Award for Outstanding Artistry in Filmmaking, funded by the Farvue Foundation.

In OBSERVER, filmmaker Ian Cheney embarks on an experiment in which he brings a series of keen-eyed observers — scientists, artists, a hunter — to a range of locations around the world, often without telling them where they are going, and asks them simply to describe what they see.

What unfolds is a deep exploration and celebration of the power of observation: what happens when you find new ways to sense & perceive the world around you? With customary whimsy and a small painted red square that Cheney brings on every journey, the film is an invitation to viewers to find beauty and meaning in even the most quotidian of locales.

(USA, 2025, 94 min.)

Followed by a conversation with producer Sarah Goodwin and film subject Dallas Hudson, moderated by Natalie Compton (Travel Writer, Washington Post)

Watch the Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=of7Hfd0bNFQ

Join us for this screening on Saturday, March 21, 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.

Advance registration and a government-issued photo ID are required.

Delivery Method

  • In Person

Timing

  • Upcoming

Category

  • CPNAS Events

Location

  • NAS Building
  • 2100 C St NW
  • Washington
  • D.C.
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Event Disclaimer

It is essential to the National Academy of Sciences mission of providing evidence-based advice that participants in any of our meetings or events avoid political or partisan statements or commentary and maintain a culture of mutual respect. The statements and presentations during our meetings or events are solely those of the individual participants and do not necessarily represent the views of other participants or the National Academy of Sciences, which is a non-partisan, tax exempt organization.