The inaugural Scienceteller Festival, to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the university's Centre for Science Communication, is attracting renowned film-makers, writers, playwrights and scientists for a five-day gathering.
From the physics of Star Trek to NASA-commissioned works, the festival will also feature writing workshops, documentary and film-making screenings, exhibitions and lectures from several guest speakers.
Otago Science Communication director Professor Lloyd Davis said the centre was conceived to fill a communication niche and the Scienceteller Festival was a timely reminder of the success which had developed.
"This festival will be unique - there is nothing quite like it in the world." Set up in 2001, the centre was created to take graduates from zoology and other disciplines to "top up" their skills so they were able to direct people, use a camera and stories, and make films.
Before that, "people making natural history documentaries either came from TV pathways with the technical skills but little real knowledge of animals, or they were zoology or botany graduates with great knowledge and no real idea of film-making".
Many of the centre's graduates have gone on to work at Dunedin's NHNZ.
NHNZ is involved with the ScienceTeller Festival, hosting one of the event's social highlights with a function on Wednesday.
The festival features "world-renowned" storytellers of science and New Zealand luminaries, as well as competitions in film, poetry, songs, photographs and written stories. The ScienceTeller Festival runs from tomorrow until Saturday.
