Science fiction scholars and a renowned filmmaker will join host Joan Kjaer for a Friday, April 13 WorldCanvass program at 5 p.m. in the Old Capitol Senate Chamber on the University of Iowa campus. The event is free, and the public is encouraged to attend as part of the live studio audience, watch the program via live video streaming, or listen to the audio live through KRUI-FM.

Filmmaker Alex Rivera, whose first feature film Sleep Dealer won two awards at the Sundance Film Festival in 2008, will also join the discussion. His work has focused on what he sees as two parallel realities: the globalization of information through the Internet, and the globalization of families and communities through mass migration. The evening’s program will center on the genre of science fiction, both in literature and film. Faculty members from the UI will join visiting scholars and editors of major science fiction journals to discuss the origin of science fiction, recurrent themes in the genre, technology and the body, and the impact of science fiction on both popular culture and everyday assumptions about the future.

This event is part of a larger UI conference, “ Visions of the Future: Global Science Fiction Cinema,” taking place on the UI campus from April 12-14.

WorldCanvass is a production of UI International Programs in partnership with the UI Pentacrest Museums, UITV, KRUI, and Information Technology Services. All programs are recorded and broadcast by UITV, archived on the Public Radio Exchange, and available as free podcasts on iTunes. More information on watching and listening is available at accents.international.uiowa.edu/worldcanvass.

For more information or special accommodations to attend, contact Joan Kjaer at 319-335-2026.

Related story: http://now.uiowa.edu/2012/04/visions-future.