Fermilab hits big screen as part of film workshop

A workshop on making documentaries offered Saturday at Geneva's first film festival prompted more discussion about science and its relationship to politics and culture than the how-tos of filmmaking.

Despite a small audience, the event was a clear indication that the far western suburbs can provide a venue for an enriching cultural event.

The workshop was presented by Chicago's Clayton Brown and Andrew Suprenant, who've nearly finished a documentary called "The Atom Smashers," about the race by Fermilab in Batavia to find a subatomic particle called the Higgs.

If you know nothing about science and would expect to be bored, think again.

Viewing just a few minutes of their work can have you rooting for the men and women of Fermilab in their search for fundamental knowledge and their race against time to find the particle they believe to be "the last piece of the puzzle" of human existence.

The extraordinary aspects of the workshop were the preview it offered to what appears to be a fascinating documentary, the discussion it created and the fact that it was taking place in Geneva.

"I feel like I've learned a lot as a person," said audience member Angela Vock. She's a French teacher at Aurora's Marmion Academy and heard about the festival from a colleague. "I was very impressed. You don't often have these kinds of opportunities without going into Chicago."

Bobb Hillery, vice chairman of the Geneva Cultural Arts Commission, the festival sponsor, said the group "brainstormed to come up with ideas on offering a diverse collection of events."

"We think of it as providing what the community needs," he said. "We've become a very educated community. We also want it to be an economic boon to our businesses. People who come to the festival can stay in Geneva for lunch or shopping."

The workshop was just one of nine offered at Riverside Receptions. Other sessions including producing, writing fiction, editing, sound and critiquing and casting.

The one-day festival also featured 14 short films, some by local filmmakers, which were shown at the Geneva History Center and at city hall. There was also an awards dinner. Visit www.genevarts.org for information.

For more information on Brown, Suprenant and their film, visit 137films.org.