ADVENTURES OF A MATHEMATICIAN
GENIUSZE
ADVENTURES OF A MATHEMATICIAN
drama, biography I 2020 I Germany, Poland, UK
SUNDAY 3/10/2021 6:30pm
Polish Title: Geniusze
Duration: 120 min
Language: English, Polish
Director: Thor Klein
Writer: Thor Klein
Cast: Philippe Tlokinski (Kurier), Joel Basman (Kursk,
Papillon, Land of Mine), Sam Keeley (Burnt),
Esther Garrel (Call me by your Name),
Fabian Kociecki
BOOK TICKETS
A warm-hearted and thought-provoking true story of Polish mathematician Stan Ulam, who fled to the US in 1930s and joined the Manhattan Project to create the hydrogen bomb and later the first computer. Based on Ulam’s autobiography the film offers a fascinating glimpse into one of the greatest scientific minds of the 20th century.
When good-looking bon vivant Stan Ulam, a talented Polish Jewish mathematician, loses his fellowship at Harvard, his best friend, the Hungarian genius Johnny von Neumann, offers him a mysterious job which takes him to New Mexico. Surrounded by a legendary team of European scientists Stan begins top secret work on the nuclear bomb. At his side is Françoise, a French woman he meets and marries after a whirlwind romance. While desperately trying to help his sister flee German occupied Poland, Stan struggles with moral conflicts about his contributions to nuclear weapons that could potentially save his family left behind in Poland, but also destroy many innocent lives.
It’s an emotional journey through the times when science lost its innocence and shaped the world we live in today.
"A compelling look at the dawn of the nuclear age (...) Handsomely made. The charismatic Tlokinski gives an affecting performance. Esther Garrel also makes a vivid impression. Mathematician always tantalizes. A film that touches on immigration as well as the dangers of nuclear weapons certainly sounds timely." — The Holywood Reporter
"Klein’s biopic speaks of the great motivation which drove these scientists of European origins to work on a bomb with the capacity to bring Nazism to a grinding halt." — Cineuropa
STAN ULAM
Stan Ulam was born in 1909 at Lwów, Poland. His name is inextricably linked with the hydrogen bomb. He had the decisive idea that was carried out by Edward Teller during the Cold War. But Stan Ulam’s insights reach far beyond his work on the Manhattan Project in New Mexico. He is still influencing the course of mathematics with his work, which was often motivated by his passion for gambling. His famous Monte Carlo method found in recent history use in various scientific fields, from biology to astro- and particle physics. He had the idea while he was very sick playing Solitaire. Most of us are using the results of Stan Ulam’s original mathematical tools every day without realizing it. Through his work with John von Neumann on the first American computer, Stan became one of the pioneers of the digital age. A vast legacy that is still relevant today.
AWARDS AND ACCOLADES
WINNER: Audience Award, Koszalinski Festiwal Debiutow Filmowych Mlodzi i Film I 2021
WINNER: Jantar Best Actor, Koszalinski Festiwal Debiutow Filmowych Mlodzi i Film I 2021
NOMINATED: Grand Jantar I Koszalinski Festiwal Debiutow Filmowych Mlodzi i Film I 2021