'Blue Carbon: Nature's Hidden Power' best documentary of the VI edition of #LabMeCrazy! Science Film Festival

More than 700 people attended the awards gala of #LabMeCrazy! Science Film Festival -the science film competition organized every year by the Science Museum of the University of Navarra- which was held at the MUN Theater. For an hour and a half, attendees were able to enjoy a show of videos, science and humor led by the scientist and humorist Helena González Burón, with a performance by the Navarrese magician Numis. The gala also featured R2-KT from The Pink Force Foundation, which visits children with cancer in hospitals. 

The award for best documentary went to "BlueCarbon: Nature's Hidden Power," a British production that reflects the importance of coastal ecosystems in sequestering carbon and combating climate change. The best television program went to the Canadian production "The Nature of Things - Butt Seriously" by 90th Parallel; the best student production was the British "Creatures of the Kaleidoscope"; the best work produced by universities and research centers went to "RESTORE - The Living Indus" by the United Nations Environment Programme; while the best video on the web or social networks went to the Spanish RTVE production "TikToktives". In addition, the audience award went to the production "Seeing is Believing" by the Colegio de Fomento Miravalles - El Redín.

"Once again this year, the level of the films has been extraordinary. We are happy that the festival helps to highlight these great works," says Bienvenido León, director of the festival.

The researcher and astronaut Sara García Alonso was awarded the "Passion for Science" prize. In addition, the Science Museum awarded the prize for "best work produced by students living in Navarra" to the Luis Amigó School of Pamplona.

Paloma Grau, Vice Chancellor for Research and Sustainability of the University of Navarra; Juan Luis García Martín, Councilor for University, Innovation and Digital Transformation of the Government of Navarra; José Antonio Sacristán, Director of the Lilly Foundation; Irantzu Vázquez, head of the Culture and Education area of the Caja Navarra Foundation, participated in the awards gala; Maitane Bueno, area director of Laboral Kutxa; Carmen Tabuenca, representative of the Women for Science & Technology group of the University; Almudena Uclés and Nicolás Estévez, delegate and subdelegate of students of the University of Navarra; Bienvenido León, director of the festival and Ignacio López-Goñi, director of the Science Museum University of Navarra. 

Since last February 17 and until next March 3, the festival has organized in the city different scientific activities for all audiences: projections of finalist films, family workshop, conferences and colloquiums. Tomorrow, Tuesday, the biotechnologist and astronaut Sara García will give the conference "Biotechnology: from the laboratory to outer space" at the University of Navarra. The complete program can be consulted on the Labmecrazy website.

The sixth edition of #LabMeCrazy! Science Film Festival has received a total of 1,679 productions from 108 countries. The festival was sponsored by the Caja Navarra Foundation, the Spanish Foundation for Science and Technology (FECYT) / Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities, the Government of Navarra (Cosmos Program), Lilly Foundation, Laboral Kutxa, SACYR Foundation, and with the collaboration of the Spanish Association Against Cancer in Navarra and The Pink Force Foundation.

Khady Sene, climate refugee: "This was my home and my home is no more".

Saint Louis is a coastal city located in northwestern Senegal that is more than 400 million years old. Rising sea levels have driven more than 3,000 people from their homes, jobs and livelihoods. They now all live in a climate refugee camp. Khady Sene, one of the voices of the winning documentary, says: "I was born and raised in Saint Louis. I also gave birth to all my children here. Suddenly my whole world is gone and I can't go back. It's an indescribable pain in my heart." 

"Blue Carbon: The Hidden Power of Nature" narrates, through the eyes of Jayda Guy, DJ and biologist, the importance that nature itself can play in the fight against climate change. The documentary explores the potential for coastal ecosystems to help remove carbon from our atmosphere. This "blue carbon" is found in wetlands, salt marshes, seagrass meadows and mangrove forests that have this ability to absorb CO2. "Because in the wet, marshy mud where there is little oxygen, carbon can be stored for millions of years."

Filmed in the United States, Senegal, Vietnam, France, Colombia and Brazil, this documentary gives voice to the inhabitants of some local communities (as is the case of Khady Sene) who are in charge of the conservation of these ecosystems that are fundamental for their survival as a people, for the conservation of the biodiversity that inhabits them, and that are so important for combating climate change. "There is no technology that we humans can invent that is as powerful or versatile. We just need to plant. And we need to protect. Nature will do the rest."