Film and Media

Scientists and Hollywood are both searching for creative ways to describe new, mind-blowing ideas of what might be possible now and in the future.  IQIM has embraced a broad approach toward our outreach program that includes introducing quantum concepts to the public through games, animations, and short films.  Through quirky collaborations with Dr. Stephen Hawking and Hollywood superstars Paul Rudd, Zoe Saldana and Keanu Reeves, IQIM has introduced the public to heady concepts such as quantum entanglement and quantum superposition, sharing a bit of our enthusiasm for a quantum world where things don’t always behave as we expect.

For more information about the science behind other Hollywood projects including Ant Man, discussions of time with William Shatner, the idea of entanglement as a bridge through spacetime, and more can be found in stories in our Media Archive or on our blog Quantum Frontiers.

Quantum Is Calling

Quantum Is Calling

Partnering with Stephen Hawking and actress Zoe Saldana, Caltech’s Institute of Quantum Information and Matter and Kavli Nanoscience Institute join Trouper Productions and Cinestar Pictures in releasing “Quantum is Calling.” Directed by Alex Winter, the short film features Saldana and Hawking solving a cryptic riddle when Simon Pegg’s cat disappears into the Quantum Realm. Including cameos by John Cho, Keanu Reeves, Paul Rudd and Pegg, the video is designed to stimulate interest and promote education in the emerging scientific field of quantum information theory and quantum computing.

In the new video, Saldana works desperately to solve the puzzle and retrieve Pegg’s cat, revealing a fascinating, newly discovered property of quantum entanglement, and an opportunity to boldly go where no man or woman has gone before. With contributions from the universes of Star Trek, The Matrix, and Marvel, “Quantum is Calling” is a puzzle-solving adventure unlike anything you’ll ever see.

The Science Behind “Quantum Is Calling”

The Science Behind Quantum Is Calling screenshot

Has “Quantum is Calling” raised your curiosity about Superposition, Entanglement, Bell Tests and more? Watch this video by Caltech physicist Sean Carroll for a short description of the science behind the film.

Anyone Can Quantum

Anyone Can Quantum

What if our very future depended on the ability of an actor to beat one of the most revered physicists of our time at a game of quantum chess? This video tells the unlikely story of actor Paul Rudd’s audacious bid for quantum supremacy as narrated by the ageless time traveler Keanu Reeves.  The brainchild of  IQIM’s Manager of Outreach Spiros Michalakis and quantum chess creator Chris Cantwell, this zany project became a true collaboration with director Alex Winter, writer Jose Gonzalez, and former IQIM postdoc Gorjan Alagic, proving that “Anyone Can Quantum.”

IQIM in the Media

Members of IQIM often have opportunities to share the vision and mission of our Center with a broader, non-technical audience. The videos below highlight some of our recent media appearances.  You can view the rest of our videos, along with podcasts, interviews, and other media here.

Introduction to IQIM

Watch on YouTube!

IQIM Presents: My Father

Watch on YouTube!

IQIM Presents: My Freedom

Watch on YouTube!

Xie Chen

IQIM Presents: Greater Than Its Parts

Watch on YouTube!

PhD Comics by Jorge Cham

PhD Comics

Jorge Cham of PhD. Comics is one of our most popular outreach partners. His animations are an accessible way to communicate challenging scientific ideas, allowing IQIM connect with his audience of graduate students, scientists, and journalists.  Our most recent animation is “Quantum Knots” (Dec 2014) featuring Gil Refael and Jason Alicea. Since June 2013, the four IQIM animations have had over 1,000,000 combined views.

Quantum Knots PhD Comics

Quantum Knots

Physicists Gil Refael and Jason Alicea explain how to do the impossible: split an electron.

An Adventure in Quantum Physics by Jorge Cham

An Adventure in Quantum Physics

How do you make something that has never existed before?

We Didn't Know it was Impossible by Jorge Cham

Doing The Impossible

Two Quantum physicists describe doing what many thought wasn’t possible.

Quantum Computers Explained by Jorge Cham

Quantum Computers Explained

Physicists John Preskill and Spiros Michalakis describe how things are different in the Quantum World.