A team of mathematicians is working together on a big project. Excitement of discovery, hope and disappointment, competition and recognition are shown from an infinitely close distance. Scientists united by the idea of discretization, which, in short, means: constructing continuous objects from basic building blocks. Akin to the scientists' search for the right discretization of continuum, this film itself is composed of fragments - individual characters of different ages, temperaments and scientific approaches - which form a single continuous melody. The question of where the boundaries lie between mathematics and the lives of those who are involved in it and how much they are willing to sacrifice is as important as the search for precise scientific answers. A unique and unprecedented dive into the unknown world of mathematicians.

The Discrete Charm of Geometry

More than 100 years ago, explorers raced to discover the South Pole. Now scientists are racing to discover the secret subterranean world of rivers and lakes buried miles beneath it. In 1974, scientists made a sensational discovery: a vast lake underneath the icy desert of Antarctica, untouched for 400.000 years, Lake Vostok.  In spring 2012, after 40 years of drilling, Russian scientist broke through the ice. In two different narrative strands the film tells the story of the evolution of life and climate, the story of four decades of exploration in the coldest place on Earth, and it accompanies the scientists on their final trip to the camp.  The film also explores the mythologies and legends surrounding Antarctica – from H.P. Lovecraft to James Cameron: the ‘Mountains of Madness’ have lured many into their realm – not many left unscathed.

Lake Vostok. At the Mountains of Madness

Six university professors of math and physics wanted to share the beauty of their research. They organize a competition with the hope of inspiring artists to create ground breaking pieces, based on modern science. A jury of six experts in art, fashion and architecture were invited to judge the results. One may think, that in contrast to mathematical beauty, artistic beauty can be appreciated without a complete understanding. Unexpectedly, mathematical rigor is replaced by artistic rigor; the overconfidence of scientists in the beauty of their research clashes with the modern artists world view.