SCIENCE. STORIES. EDUCATION. IMPACT.

OBSERVER

An adventure in eight chapters. 🟥 There's a universe everywhere you turn.

Trailer  Host a Screening 
About the Film

In OBSERVER, filmmaker Ian Cheney embarks on an experiment in which he brings a series of keen-eyed observers - scientists, artists, a hunter - to a range of locations around the world, often without telling them where they are going, and asks them simply to describe what they see.

What unfolds is a deep exploration and celebration of the power of observation: what happens when you find new ways to sense & perceive the world around you? With customary whimsy and a small painted red square that Cheney brings on every journey, the film is an invitation to viewers to find beauty and meaning in even the most quotidian of locales.

OBSERVER is available for educators to use in their classrooms. Watch now.

Are you interested in hosting a public screening of this film? Check out our affordable licensing options here.

Feature FilmsNow Playing Climate ChangeMicrobesScience & SocietyScience Identity

Free Classroom Access For Educators

We’re thrilled to offer OBSERVER free to educators for use in classroom settings only.

Please login or sign up for a free educator account to access the film for classroom use.

Are you an educator? Login or Sign Up for a free account to view Educator Resources for this film.

OBSERVER is produced by The Wonder Collaborative and Wicked Delicate Films. The Wonder Collaborative is our feature film unit at the Science Communication Lab. Learn more here.

Directed by Ian Cheney
Produced by Meredith DeSalazar, Manette Pottle, Rebecca Taylor
Director of Photography Ezra Wolfinger
Executive Producers Sarah Goodwin & Elliot Kirschner
Executive Producer Katy Chevigny
Sound Recordist Tom Eichler
Original Score by Ben Fries, Simon Beins
Edited by Sam Piesner and Ian Cheney
Cinematographers Brandon Yadegari Moreno & Ian Cheney

Premiere at NSTA

Press

"a thought-provoking journey into the simple but transformative act of observing" ~ Variety

"One red square can change your entire perception of the world" ~ Science

Sign Up for Updates
By Topic
Award-Winning Films & Videos
Short Films
Scientists Sharing Their Stories
Feature Documentaries
Science on the Big Screen
Connect with SCICOMMLAB
Moore
NSF
NIH
SFF
Lasker
Rita Allen

This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute of General Medical Sciences under Grant No. 2122350 and 1 R25 GM139147. Any opinion, finding, conclusion, or recommendation expressed in these videos are solely those of the speakers and do not necessarily represent the views of the Science Communication Lab/iBiology, the National Science Foundation, the National Institutes of Health, or other Science Communication Lab funders.

  • Website Credits: Design by Cidney Hue, Development by SeddCo