A Director’s Take

"I will miss this feeling of travelling around the world as if it were my home, and I will miss the people I met during the journey, " said Nicole Leghissa, reminiscing about the two months she spent travelling to different continents and meeting scientists whose lives have been positively impacted by ICTP.

Leghissa, a Trieste filmmaker, was commissioned by ICTP to make a documentary that captured ICTP's far-reaching impacts throughout the developing world. The final product, "From Theory to Reality: ICTP at 50”,  was shown during the Centre's 50th Anniversary celebrations and has been aired on television by Italian broadcaster RAI. The documentary gives a glimpse into the lives of scientists spread across the globe but connected by the common thread of science and ICTP.

Capturing the world of these diverse people on camera was a stereotype-shattering experience for Leghissa. "One of the most unexpected things for me, not being a scientist, was to discover that the people I met were not closed or shy," she said. "The picture of scientists which we usually have is not the right one. Many scientists have a very rich capability to communicate, and they are excited to share their stories."

What also deeply impressed Leghissa was the zeal that the scientists she encountered had for their work. "All the people that I met were special in their own way, and very committed to what they are doing," said Leghissa. In many instances, she said, she was surprised to learn that these scientists had to fight cultural and societal biases to build science foundations in their home countries. "Did you know in Cameroon, theoretical physics is still viewed as some kind of a mystic subject, something not to be taken seriously? These are the kinds of odds that the scientists have to struggle against," she said.  Recounting her experience with a Chinese woman researcher from a minority community, Leghissa said, "It is a miracle that she is a scientist! She told me it was a struggle for her to write when she was in fifth grade."

The humility of some of the researchers she interviewed, their determination to establish quality science despite daunting challenges, and learning how women scientists balance careers with familial and societal expectations are some of the impressions Leghissa said will always remain with her.  "I am so happy to have been chosen to tell this story," she said. "It was like seeing the world from the top. You can see everything is the same. People are people. Cultures are very different, places are different, but we share something important. Maybe it is true that science could be a common language."

The documentary "From Theory to Reality" can be viewed on ICTP's YouTube channel.