Private Project

The Art and Science of Traveling

According to scientists, we have been traveling for 13.8 billion years as atoms since the formation of the universe. To Eastern Philosophers, we have been traveling from one life to another. At a different spacio-temporal scale, we are traveling as we meditate, read, eat, listen to music or even enjoy a sip of coffee ... From the Director of award-winning "I C LAND", "I C SKIES" and "Missed Connections", and with the invaluable contribution of several artists, scientists, humanists and spiritual leaders, the "Art and Science of Traveling" opens a door to a plethora of traveling techniques and perspectives, with the body, mind and spirit. From land, sea, sky to cosmic travels, this episodic docu-fiction feautre film unveils and (re)defines traveling in a series of ten oneiric chapters.

  • Alaa Abi Haidar
    Director
    I C LAND
  • Alaa Abi Haidar
    Writer
    I C LAND
  • ALAgrApHY
    Producer
    I C LAND
  • Edward Frenkel
    Key Cast
    Rites of Love and Math
  • Olive Dorner
    Key Cast
    Colline
  • Alaa Abi Haidar
    Key Cast
    I C LAND
  • Chloe Dirras
    Key Cast
    Miss Ile de France
  • Project Type:
    Documentary, Feature, Other
  • Genres:
    Docu-Fiction, Documentary, Traveling, Philosophy
  • Runtime:
    48 minutes 40 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    June 26, 2016
  • Production Budget:
    20,000 EUR
  • Country of Origin:
    France
  • Country of Filming:
    Armenia, Brazil, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cuba, France, Iceland, Italy, Japan, Lebanon
  • Language:
    English, French, Italian, Spanish
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Cannes International Film Festival 2015
    Cannes
    France
    May 16, 2015
    Cannes Marche du Film
    AFI Cannes Best expermental short film award to the first chapter of this film: I C LAND
  • VIVA Documentary Film Festival
    Sarajevo
    Bosnia and Herzegovina
    June 6, 2016
    VIVA Religious documentary premiere
    Best production design award for chapter 3: I C SKIES integrated in this documentary
Director Biography - Alaa Abi Haidar

Alaa (or Al) is an Artificial Intelligence (AI) expert and data scientist senior researcher based in Paris. He did his PhD in Complex Systems at Indiana University and several Postdocs at the University of Pierre and Marie Curie and the Sorbonne University. However, science alone was unable to help him prove nor disprove that he is capable of flying a lady dragon through galaxies of unimagined parallel universes therefore he resorts to filmmaking and photography. He uses arts and science hand-in-hand in order to capture and translate beauty and do his muse, nature, justice!

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Director Statement

I have been working on "The Art and Science of Travel" for the past couple of years with fellow scientists and artists in order to answer questions about why we travel and who we are to finally realise that we are but stardust traveling through the universe since the beginning of time and all these names and labels based on beliefs and skin color they gave us upon our birth are just ridiculous... Thank you for taking the time to watch this docu-fiction that I put my heart in and I hope you enjoy it!