The SNFestival RetroFuture Edition Came to An End, the Events Remain on Demand!

Culture

The SNFestival RetroFuture Edition Came to An End, the Events Remain on Demand!

July 1, 2020

People from more than 60 countries came together to enjoy 8 days and 30 online events at the Summer Nostos Festival RetroFuture Edition

All events are available on demand at SNFestival.org

From Malaysia to Canada, people from more than 60 countries came together—virtually, of course—to enjoy wholesome summer fun and join in illuminating discussion at the online Summer Nostos Festival RetroFuture Edition. The SNFestival, organized by the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF), took place last week from June 21 to 28, but if you missed out, you can still catch many of the events.

This year’s SNFestival was different from any other, since we couldn’t meet up in person at the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center (SNFCC) in Athens, as we have each of the past five years. Nevertheless, in the midst of crisis, the Festival still created space for moments of joy, of catharsis, of discovery, and of togetherness.

“What we tried to accomplish, in this unprecedented period, was to stay together during this week in June, to maintain the atmosphere and the emotions of ‘nostos,’” remarked SNF Co-President Andreas Dracopoulos, “The word ‘nostos,’ which inspired the name of our festival, means a return home after a long and difficult journey. We all know that we have many issues to face as a global society, and unless we proactively come together to face them, we will not prevail.”

A subtitled version of this video will follow shortly.

And that’s precisely what we aim to do with the SNFestival. Come what may, we look forward to seeing all of you next year (20-27 June, 2021) for a week of bold, optimistic, and inclusive events, true to the spirit of the Festival.

If you missed the SNFestival RetroFuture Edition—or if you watched the whole thing but want to see it again—events are available to view on demand:

Arts

Choir! Choir! Choir! ft. Kostis Maraveyas

Burna Boy

DJ Decay a.k.a. Cardi Monáe

William Kentridge – Studio Visit

Stereo Nova

Comedy with Greek Stand-Up Comedians

Low

Dance of the Cranes

Seu Jorge & the Athens State Orchestra

Woman Suspended by renowned composer Dimitris Kamarotos and mezzo-soprano Anna Pangalou

Selected Shorts

ΜΕΛΙSSES

*Because live, spontaneous reactions and discussion are integral to the nature of the event, The Oedipus Project by Theater of War Productions is not available to stream.

William Kentridge ©Photo: Stella Olivier

Talks

SNF Conference

SNF Conference: Day 1

Opening Remarks by Andreas Dracopoulos, Co-President, Stavros Niarchos Foundation

Looking Back, Looking Forward

Speakers:

Andreas Dracopoulos, Co-President, Stavros Niarchos Foundation

Ruth Faden, Founder, Johns Hopkins Berman Institute of Bioethics

Bill T. Jones, Co-Founder, New York Live Arts

Eric Klinenberg, Sociologist, NYU

Alan Stoga, Chairman, The Tällberg Foundation

Rebirth, Reinvention, and Return: Framing Questions for the Post-COVID World

Speakers:

Nicholas Christakis, Director, Human Nature Lab, Yale University

Hilary Cottam, Social Entrepreneur and Author

Aarathi Krishnan, Humanitarian Futures and Strategic Foresight Advisor

Andrew Zolli, Vice President, Planet Inc., Forecaster and Author

SNF Conference: Day 2

Humanity & AI: Cooperation, Collision, or Coevolution?

Speakers:

Blaise Aguera y Arcas, Distinguished Scientist, Google

Azeem Azhar, Founder, Exponential View

Madeleine Clare Elish, Program Director, AI on the Ground, Data & Society

Andrew Zolli, Vice President, Planet Inc., Forecaster and Author

Humanity & AI: Can We Keep Humanity at the Center?

Speakers:

Stuart Russell, Professor of Computer Science, University of California Berkeley

Tristan Harris, Co-Founder & President, Center for Humane Technology

Tenzin Priyadarshi, President and CEO, Dalai Lama Center for Ethics and Transformative Values, MIT

Sabelo Mhlambi, Founder, Bantucracy

Aarathi Krishnan, Humanitarian Futures and Strategic Foresight Advisor

Humanity & AI: How Do Youth Perceive AI Ethics?

Speakers:

Andreas Dracopoulos, Co-President, Stavros Niarchos Foundation

Elize Dracopoulos, Student

Ypatia Fafalios, Student

Francesca Rossi, AI Ethics Global Leader, IBM

Closing Remarks by Andreas Dracopoulos, Co-President, Stavros Niarchos Foundation

SNF Dialogues – SNF Agora Conversations

The discussion was moderated by journalist and SNF DIALOGUES Executive Director Anna-Kynthia Bousdoukou and SNF Agora Institute director Hahrie Han.

Speakers:

George Zarkadakis, Digital Lead at Willis Towers Watson, Author

Alondra Nelson, President of the Social Science Research Council, Harold F. Linder Professor at the Institute for Advanced Study

SNF Agora Conversations

With the participation of:

Eduardo Moncada, Assistant Professor in the Department of Political Science at Barnard College, Columbia University

Sarah Parkinson, Aronson Assistant Professor of Political Science and International Studies at Johns Hopkins University

Mira Rapp-Hooper, Schwarzman Senior Fellow for Asia Studies at the Council on Foreign Relations and Senior Fellow at the China Center at Yale Law School

Eugene Finkel, Associate Professor of international relations at Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies