Skip to main content
The Universe in a Grain of Sand film image; man builds metal frame of kayak

The Universe in a Grain of Sand

Spectrum

This event has passed

North American Premiere

How do we make sense of the world around us? How do tools shape our perception of nature? This search for understanding is immersed in an astounding array of human ingenuity and innovation, from Leibniz’s 17th century binary systems to the art of M.C. Escher; from the diverse boat-building techniques of First Nations peoples to the latest advances in quantum computing. Featuring a dazzling integration of artwork and experimental cinema – Picasso to Hilma af Klint to Stan Brakhage – interwoven with mathematicians and scientists striving to understand the innermost depths of the universe, we’re sent on a breathtaking journey through the known world.

The second feature from award-winning filmmaker and renowned physicist Mark Levinson (Particle Fever), The Universe in a Grain of Sand explores the synergistic intersection of art and science. Levinson maps out revolutions in analog and digital technology as they lead to increasingly complex artistic endeavours and stretch the boundaries of human perception, celebrating the transcendent power of the scientific imagination.

 

Sept 27 & Oct 1: Q&A with director Mark Levinson

Sept 29: Q&A with director Mark Levinson; artist Kristen Roos; and George Dyson

Director
Credits
Country of Origin

USA

Year

2024

Language

English

Film Contact
Content Warning

Flashing/strobing lights

18+
73 min
Documentary Q&As at VIFF
MusterMark

Book Tickets

This event has passed.

Credits & Director

Executive Producer

Andy Aaron, Mark Podlaseck

Producer

Mark A. Levinson

Screenwriter

Mark A. Levinson

Cinematography

Claudia Raschke, Howard Shack, Alan Jensen

ANIM

Ksawery Kirklewski

Editor

Mark A. Levinson, Melody London, Danya Abt, Michele Zarbafian

Original Music

Robert Miller

Mark A. Levinson headshot; The Universe in a Grain of Sand director

Mark A. Levinson

Mark A. Levinson is the director of the award-winning documentary Particle Fever (2013). Before embarking on a film career, Levinson earned a PhD in physics. In the film world, he first became a specialist in sound editing, working on over 40 feature films, including The English Patient and The Talented Mr. Ripley. He is the director of The Bit Player (2018) and the fiction film Prisoner of Time (1993). Levinson won the inaugural Stephen Hawking Medal for Science Communication.

Filmography: Prisoner of Time (1993); Particle Fever (2013); The Bit Player (2018)

Missing VIFF? Check out what's playing at the VIFF Centre

Santosh

Dir. Sandhya Suri
128 min

The feature debut by British-Indian writer-director Sandhya Suri, Santosh is a murder mystery that's also an investigation into India's social stratification, sexism, and corruption.

VIFF Centre - VIFF Cinema VIFF Centre - Lochmaddy Studio Theatre

Eat the Night

Dir. Caroline Poggi & Jonathan Vinel
107 min

Three young people caught up in video games, drugs, sex, and despair... this fatalistic French melodrama explores the outer reaches of modern reality.

VIFF Centre - Lochmaddy Studio Theatre

Finding Nemo

Dir. Andrew Stanton
100 min

Junior clown fish Nemo swims too far from the reef and next thing he knows he's looping a fish tank in a Sydney dentist's office. Neurotic dad Marlin (Albert Brooks) follows in his wake, with dippy Dory (Ellen DeGeneres) tagging along for comic relief. Rated: G

Image: © Disney Pixar 2003

VIFF Centre - VIFF Cinema

No Other Land

Dir. Basel Adra, Hamdan Ballal, Yuval Abraham & Rachel Szor
96 min

Deemed by many critics one of the essential films of 2024, a multiple festival award winner and Academy Award winner for Best Documentary, No Other Land is a reminder that mass expulsion is by no means a new reality for Palestinians.

VIFF Centre - Lochmaddy Studio Theatre VIFF Centre - VIFF Cinema

Exhibition on Screen: Dawn of Impressionism

Dir. Ali Ray
92 min

The latest Exhibition on Screen film contextualizes the landmark show which launched Impressionism with correspondence and journal entries from Manet, Monet, Cezanne, Degas, Morisot et al, and looks also at the turbulent history of the period.

VIFF Centre - VIFF Cinema VIFF Centre - Lochmaddy Studio Theatre

Monsters, Inc

Dir. Pete Docter
92 min

A warm and fuzzy family film about the harvesting of young children's screams? Well, yes, it can be done and here's the proof. Rated: G

Image: © Disney Pixar 2001

VIFF Centre - VIFF Cinema