The Hunger Games

Featuring: 
Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth
Film director: 
Gary Ross
Event date: 
Thu, 20/03/2014

Every year in the ruins of what was once North America, the Capitol of Panem forces each of its twelve districts to send a teenage boy and girl to compete in the Hunger Games. Sixteen year-old Katniss Everdeen volunteers in her younger sister’s place and must rely upon her sharp instincts when she’s pitted against highly trained Tributes who have prepared for these Games their entire lives. If she’s ever to return home to District 12, Katniss must make impossible choices in the arena that weigh survival against humanity and life against love.

Following the film we presented a FREE drinks reception and panel discussion. The panel included Dr Rhys Jones (survival of the fittest), Dr Guy Bradley (Roman gladiatorial games), Dr Ana Moragues Faus (food and food security), Dr Jonathan Quinn (virtual reality) and Dr Tom Hall (inequality, class and poverty). 

Watch the trailer here: The Hunger Games Trailer.

This event was funded by the British Science Association and is part of National Science and Engineering Week 2014. 

Articles on this film:

The Hunger Games and Roman History

Guy Bradley
The Roman allusions in the Hunger Games are myriad and clearly intentional. Suzanne Collins has stated in interviews that the ancient world, and in particular gladiatorial games, was the inspiration for the idea of an autocratic government forcing people to fight to the death for the entertainment of the masses.

Virtual Reality in The Hunger Games

Jon Quinn
Introduction: briefly outline the Virtual Reality elements of the film, e.g. the beasts, the fire, and the deaths displayed in the sky. Address them all together, but:

Surveillance and the Search in The Hunger Games

Jamie Lewis
Disclaimer: I approach this essay as someone who has not read the books and who has only watched the Hunger Games Part 1.