SYNOPSIS
Becoming is short film by Jan van IJken about the embryology of a salamander. In this film we witness the ‘making of’ a salamander in its transparent egg from fertilization to hatching, filmed in great microscopic detail.
The first stages of embryonic development are roughly the same for all animals, including humans. In the film, we can observe a universal process which normally is invisible: the miraculous genesis of animal life. A single cell is transformed into a complete, complex living organism with a beating heart and running bloodstream.
The salamander embryo (an Ichthyosaura Alpestris) was followed very closely in a combination of timelapse and film. All stages of embryogenesis can be seen in this film: cleavage, gastrulation, neurulation and organogenesis. Time was condensed from about 3 weeks to 6 minutes.
2018, HD video, color, 06:15
SCREENINGS AND AWARDS
Becoming has been screened at more than 25 international film festivals and received the Award for best short documentary at the Innsbruck nature film festival 2018, the Visual Science Award at Imagine Science Abu Dhabi 2019 and a honorary mention at Academia Film, Olomouc, CZ. The film was awarded Vimeo Staff Pick of the Month and was nominated for Vimeo Best of 2019 (top 10 experimental films).
In 2019 the film went ‘viral’ on internet and has been watched by millions of people. It was published on the website of National Geographic (13 million views and counting), Aeon, Colossal, Live Science, IFLScience and numerous others. The Dutch TV show De Wereld Draait Door screened the film, including an interview.
FULL LIST OF SCREENINGS AND AWARDS BECOMING
Acknowledgements; Many thanks to:
Alex Kenter salamander breeder with endless patience in providing eggs.
Ben Geutskens for sharing his knowledge about the biology and life cycles of salamanders: http://www.semperinmotus.nl/
My friends at the Dutch microscopy club NGVM: http://www.ngvm.nl
Huibert Boon for the audimix and foley http://www.boonbooy.nl/
