Nat Geo’s Genius Inspires 10-Day Film Festival

National Geographic has launched the 10 Days of Genius Film Festival, a series of short films based on the creativity and imagination of Albert Einstein, whose life takes center stage in the network’s new hit show Genius.

Nat Geo partnered with creative agency Pereira & O’Dell New York to develop the concept, content and strategy behind the initiative, starting with the two short films The Instrument and The Mirror. The channel also teamed up with the Tongal filmmaking community to develop and produce eight short films that spotlight the many sides of Einstein’s genius. Each original short film centers on one of Einstein’s quotes.

The 10 Days of Genius Film Festival kicked off yesterday with the premiere of The Instrument, which imagines a world where music and physics are one and the same and the rules of gravity are meant to be defied. The initiative spans Nat Geo’s digital and social platforms, including the Genius homepage, VOD, YouTube and Facebook.

Andy Baker, the senior VP/global creative director at National Geographic, said: “With our scripted series Genius, we introduced Einstein the man, not just the physicist, showcasing the man behind the mind. He was a true creative spirit with an insatiable curiosity. The 10 Days of Genius Film Festival will celebrate Einstein’s innovativeness and hopefully inspire audiences to explore their imaginations and find their inner genius.”

Dave Arnold, the executive creative director of Pereira & O’Dell New York, noted: “10 Days of Genius honors Albert Einstein in service of Genius. Everyone knew how rare this brief was, and it was exciting to explore the intersection of music and science knowing how important both were to Einstein.”

James DeJulio, co-founder and chief creative officer at Tongal, added: “Einstein’s creative genius helped us re-imagine our world. Through our platform and creative network, we are redefining how we approach content by allowing unique and diverse talent to re-imagine his famous quotes. The ‘genius’ behind this campaign is that it helped us empower limitless imagination, bring opportunities to up-and-coming filmmakers and, as a result, tell incredible stories.”