Etsuko Uno and Drew Berry | 4 mins | Australia

An animation about the human immune system created to commemorate the 50th anniversary of a revolutionary theory by Nobel Laureate, Sir Frank Macfarlane Burnet, illustrating how the body fights infection. The animation Fighting Infection by Clonal Selection was created to commemorate the 50th anniversary of a revolutionary theory called ‘Clonal Selection’ by Nobel Laureate, Sir Frank Macfarlane Burnet. Narrated using simple yet scientifically accurate language, the animation tells the story of how the body fights against a common bacterial infection. Fighting Infection by Clonal Selection is a world-first in visualizing the immune system with both microscopic and atomic detail, and is firmly founded on scientific research. The animation was designed to raise the understanding of the immune system in the general public and as a teaching resource for university students and scientists.

PREMIERE STATUS
New York Premiere

SCREENING SCHEDULE
7:00PM     Monday, Oct 18, 2010
The Bell House (link to tickets and showtimes page)

PRODUCTION CREDITS
Animation | Etsuko Uno and Drew Berry, The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research Melbourne, Australia
Sound Design | Lachlan Carrick and François Tétaz, Moose Mastering Melbourne, Australia

DIRECTOR’S BIO
Drew Berry and Etsuko Uno are biologist-animators working from within the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research in Melbourne, Australia.  Their animation studio WEHI.TV, headed by Drew Berry, develops innovative techniques for visualizing scientific discoveries for news and current affairs programs, documentaries, museum installations and education programs.  WEHI.TV animations have received many awards, including an Emmy and a BAFTA, and exhibit globally in museums and art galleries.  Exhibition highlights include the Guggenheim (New York), Museum of Modern Art (New York), The Royal Institution of Great Britain (London), the University of Geneva’s Genome Dome (Geneva), and Centre Pompidou (Paris).  WEHI.TV is also recognised by the scientific community for its remarkably accurate depiction of biology, with numerous awards including First Prize in the National Science Foundation’s “Science and Engineering Visualization Challenge” in 2006 and 2008.