GATTACA

Featuring: 
Ethan Hawke, Uma Thurman, Jude Law, Loren Dean, Ernest Borgnine, Gore Vidal, Alan Arkin
Film director: 
Andrew Niccol
Event date: 
Mon, 16/03/2015

As part of British Science Week Cardiff sciscreen organised a FREE event supported by the British Science Association and the Schools Partnership Project. Following a screening of Andrew Niccol’s GATTACA a drinks reception with refreshments and post-film discussion took place.

In the not-too-distant future, a ‘less-than-perfect’ man wants to travel to the stars. Society has categorized Vincent Freeman as less than suitable given his genetic make-up and he has become one of the underclass of humans that are only useful for menial jobs. To move ahead, he assumes the identity of Jerome Morrow, a perfect genetic specimen. Just when he is finally scheduled for a space mission, his program director is killed and the police begin an investigation, jeopardizing his secret…

A panel of experts from Cardiff University explored themes relating to the application of genetic and genomic science. The panel, including Dr Atina Krajewska, Corbett Miteff, Dr Michael Arribas-Ayllon and Dr Pablo Orozco ter Wengel, will discussed questions concerning:

- the limits and potentials of scientific advances

- social perceptions and patient experiences of genetic testing and DNA databases

- legal issues concerning the use of genetics and genomics in court proceedings

- portraying the future in film

Watch the trailer here.

Time: 6 pm - 9.30 pm

Date: Monday 16th March 2015

Venue: Hadyn Ellis Building, Maindy Road, CF24 4HQ

If you would like to find out about future events ask to join our mailing list by emailing sciSCREEN at cardiff dot ac dot uk.

Articles on this film:

GATTACA and genetic discrimination in employment – much ado about nothing?

Atina Krajewska
GATTACA, premiered in 1997 and shown recently at a sciSCREEN event at Cardiff University (http://www.cardiffsciscreen.co.uk/film/gattaca), depicts the world in not-too-distant future, in which genetic discrimination, segregation, and liberal eugenics are the unintended consequence of genetic screening technologies meant to assist human reproduction.

GATTACA: A past future of biological control

Michael Arribas Ayllon
“I not only think that we will tamper with nature. I think Mother Nature wants us to” is one of the opening quotations of GATTACA. Its author, the American psychiatrist and bioethicist, Willard Gaylin, is inviting us to consider the possibility that evolution is not the only engineer of our nature – human beings have always played a part in this process.