This Monday, May 15 -within the framework of the hundredth fourth anniversary of the University of Concepción- the premiere of the documentary "Atacama Hadal" took place at the Cineteca Nacional, located in the city of Santiago : A trip to the Underworld”, which shows the details of what was the first manned expedition to the Atacama Trench.
It should be remembered that, in January 2022, scientists from the Millennium Institute of Oceanography (IMO), Dr. Osvaldo Ulloa and Dr. Rubén Escribano, together with the American explorer Víctor Vescovo, became the first humans to reach the depths of the aforementioned oceanic trench. The unprecedented nature of the experience lived by the academics of the University of Concepción led the filmmaker Julián Rosenblatt to capture this experience in this new documentary, bringing underwater exploration and marine sciences closer to the general public; label that has characterized his audiovisual work over the years.
According to Rosenblatt, “the significance for Chile of the milestone reached deserves to be reflected in an audiovisual piece; one that turns the audience into privileged witnesses of the daily work of explorers and scientists, delving into their concerns and expectations in the face of such a complex mission, as it was, in this case, descending to more than 8,000 meters deep”.< /p>
In the same vein, the Minister of Science, Technology, Knowledge and Innovation, Aisén Etcheverry highlighted how this expedition reflects what is "interdisciplinary work at its best, which will allow us to detect, quantify and understand processes that They take place in the ocean. In addition, he emphasized the technological aspect, noting the great challenge of "having the capacities in Chile so that from science we can also push the technological frontier".
This milestone with hadal characteristics, which marks a before and after in national oceanography, also accounts for the excellent technical and human capacities available to the country when it comes to carrying out frontier science; an aspect valued by Dr. Andrés Couve. In this regard, who was the first Minister of Science, Technology, Knowledge and Innovation in the history of Chile and in charge of the portfolio during the planning and execution of the expedition, highlighted that Atacama Hadal met "two conditions that any adventure that must have Goes beyond the limits of the possible: evidence and courage. In other words, Couve pointed out, “there is a question of going to look for that evidence, of knowing that there is new knowledge there, but also of courage, daring and transgression. And this synthesizes what exploration is”. Ultimately, and subscribing to what was previously indicated by Rosenblatt and Escribano, the former Secretary of State stated that "a project like this does the country extremely well and, above all, moves the borders of what is known."
For his part, another of the protagonists of the expedition, the Director of the IMO, Dr. Osvaldo Ulloa, emphasized the responsibility of disseminating science and "transmitting to Chilean society -in an artistic way- what we do, so that it becomes aware of the capital importance that the ocean has for the future of the country and of humanity”. Likewise, the astronomer José Maza, National Prize for Exact Sciences (1999), agreed with what was stated by Prof. Ulloa, appealing to the need for the documentary "to be seen by society, so that it realizes that, through By investigating and understanding the world around us, we can go much further”. In fact, the also academic and renowned scientific disseminator did not hesitate to warn that "without education, Chile has no future, so critical thinking must be encouraged in children.
Finally, the rector of the University of Concepción, Dr. Carlos Saavedra, noted “how interesting it is for all decision makers to see the scientific capacity that exists in our country, and how it is strengthened through international collaboration, with the purpose of opening routes that, until very recently, were not available.”
Precisely due to this last aspect, the avant-première focused in a special way on decision makers and scientists with extensive experience and recognized prestige, among them several national awards; precisely with the aim of highlighting the quality of the science that is currently being developed in our country.
From now on, the documentary will begin its own journey through different national and international festivals, as well as touring our country from north to south. With this, it is expected to reach the general public so that they know and marvel at the underwater world of the Atacama Trench, while enjoying a story of adventure and audacity of the explorers of the 21st century.
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