A surface visit / Návšteva na povrchu

About

A reflection on sight, hearing and touch. Are seening, hearing and feeling enough? What is happening on the surface and below? Professor Gerhard Ertl, winner of the Nobel Prize for chemistry in 2007, explains the principles of how the world works. The film documents events that led to the development of his scientific approach, philosophy and principles. This work was developed in collaboration with his colleague and former student Dušan Velič, who predicted that Ertl would one day win a Nobel Prize.

The film details the contributions of Professor Ertl to the field of surface chemistry, his winning of the Nobel Prize, his award of an honorary doctorate from Comenius University in Bratislava, and his influence on young, promising and gifted chemists. The film also shows Dušan Velič as a great teacher and scientist who knew how to make his students passionate about science and chemistry.

Story, screenplay and director: Robert Kirchhoff

Director of photography: Tomáš Stanek

Year of production: 2013

Country of production: Slovakia

Genre: dokumentary

Duration: 24 min

Language: Slovak

Subtitles: English

Aspect ratio: 16:9

Official distribution premiere in the Slovak Republic: 2024

Distribution company: RTVS

Actors: Dušan Velic, Gerhard Ertl, Marek Buchman, Martin Mojžiš and others