Description:

Filmed in Canada, Iran, and the United States, Secrets of the Surface: The Mathematical Vision of Maryam Mirzakhani examines the life and mathematical work of Maryam Mirzakhani, an Iranian immigrant to the United States who became a superstar in her field. In 2014, she was both the first woman and the first Iranian to be honored by mathematics’ highest prize, the Fields Medal. Mirzakhani’s contributions are explained in the film by leading mathematicians and illustrated by animated sequences. Her mathematical colleagues from around the world, as well as former teachers, classmates, and students in Iran today, convey the deep impact of her achievements. The path of her education, success on Iran’s Math Olympiad team, and her brilliant work, make Mirzakhani an ideal role model for girls looking toward careers in science and mathematics.

Biography:

George Csicsery, a writer and independent filmmaker, has produced 35 documentaries on historical, ethnographic, and cultural subjects. His films on mathematical topics include N is a Number: A Portrait of Paul Erdős (1993), Julia Robinson and Hilbert’s Tenth Problem, (2008), Hard Problems: The Road to the World’s Toughest Math Contest (2008), Taking the Long View: The Life of Shiing-shen Chern (2011), Counting from Infinity (2015), Navajo Math Circles (2016), and Secrets of the Surface: The Mathematical Vision of Maryam Mirzakhani (2020). Between 2010 and 2014 he produced 30 long-form biographical interviews for the Simons Foundation Science Lives series, and a 150 video documentation of the 2014 Gathering4Gardner meeting (G4G). He has produced numerous shorter films and videos working with MSRI, MAA, and independently. In 2009 he received the Joint Policy Board for Mathematics (JPBM) Communications Award for bringing mathematics to nonmathematical audiences. In 2017-2019 he was Presidential Fellow at Chapman University.