On 28–29 November 2016, the 8th World Congress was held in St Petersburg (Russia) on the theme: ‘New Developments in Science: The Explained and the Unexplained’.
For the first time, the ‘Apollo-Aphrodite’ International Film Festival was seamlessly integrated into the Congress programme, vividly demonstrating the inexhaustible creative potential and impressive achievements of Russian cinema, both fiction and documentary.
Science comprehends and explains reality at all its levels and in all its manifestations as the interaction of various principles—ultimately, the material and the spiritual—whilst paying significant attention to the spiritual principle. Science is called upon to satisfy both the material and spiritual needs of humankind.
Art, in one way or another, reproduces reality as the interaction of the material and spiritual elements, with particular attention to the spiritual element, and satisfies, above all, the spiritual needs of human beings. This applies fully to the art of cinema.
It is precisely through their inherent spiritual aspect that a fruitful interaction between science and art takes place. They are indispensable to one another and, albeit in different ways, are vitally necessary for humanity.
The VNK vividly demonstrates the truly harmonious influence of art and science on the human consciousness and one’s entire inner world, rendering it harmonious.
In future, it is planned to hold the ‘Apollo-Aphrodite’ International Film Festival on a regular basis as part of the programme for the next VNK (St Petersburg).
The film festival includes screenings of various feature and documentary films, both Russian and foreign, as well as their public screening and evaluation.
Directors, screenwriters, cinematographers, artists, composers, actors, scientific consultants and other participants in the filmmaking process may take part in the Film Festival.
The winners of the International Film Festival and outstanding scientists will be awarded the special International Prize ‘Art, Science and Consciousness’. Other awards and incentives for Film Festival participants have also been established.
The next “Apollo-Aphrodite” International Film Festival is scheduled to take place during the 9th World Congress of Science (late September 2017) in Geneva and in St Petersburg (November), Russia.
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