Documentary Premiere : Ramón y Cajal: Drawings on the Retina

The 90-minute documentary (in Spanish with English subtitles) offers a look at the legacy of Nobel laureate Santiago Ramón y Cajal, exploring the close connection between his passion for photographic imagery and his ground-breaking scientific discoveries about how the brain works. The documentary shows us the latest developments in the creation of the Ramón y Cajal museum and the preservation of his original drawings and photographs.

With historical rigor and artistic sensitivity, the work highlights both his scientific achievements and his creative process, portraying him as a scientist, artist, and visionary. Before the viewing, Professor John Bekkers (Head of the Eccles Institute of Neuroscience, ANU) and Professor Luis Salvador-Carulla (Deputy Director of the Health Research Institute, University of Canberra) will share their insight on how Ramón y Cajal’s work still resonates in modern neuroscience.

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This event is part of the Science Movie Festival 2026. A group of European embassies in Canberra are organising a Science Movie Festival during the National Science Week in Canberra to celebrate the importance of sharing and coordinating research across the world to foster innovative approaches of science. This event brings together the Embassies of Spain, France, Germany, Switzerland and Italy, along with the European Union Delegation and the Australian National University.

Over three evenings, on 18, 19 and 20 August 2026, films and documentaries related to major scientific themes (Space, Neurosciences and Artificial Intelligence) will be screened in the ANU Research School of Physics Auditorium. Each evening will also feature a panel discussion with experts on the evening’s scientific theme, as well as a networking session.

PARKING: If you are driving to this event, please note that the entrance to the Research School of Physics is a drop-off only area and there are not many parking spots on Mills Road.

Please allow plenty of time to find a proper parking spot in the carpark on Garran Road near the Department of Nuclear Physics. From the carpark, there is a 3-minute walk including stairs. Please find attached locations of the closest car parks.

ACCESSIBILITY: Attendees who need accessibility accommodations or a Visitors Personal Emergency plan should contact Cedric Simenel by email.

PHOTOGRAPHY: An official photographer will be onsite for the duration of the event. These photos may be used on social media.

The suggested preparation is to "do your research" into the activity/event. For example, if you are going to see a guest speaker present, do a little background research, such as spending some time reading their latest work, finding out about them (ie wikipedia, etc), or listening to an interview with them.