Almost 2,200 schoolchildren between the ages of 6 and 11 years were there at this the first day of Ikastetxeak Belodromoan, where Pepper the social robot made a surprise appearance and even had everyone up and dancing before the screening of Terra Willy: Planeta ezezaguna / Terra Willy: Unexplored Planet.

With the slogan Donostia. City of cinema, city of science, the activity has been coordinated since 2019 by the San Sebastian Festival, the Donostia International Physics Center (DIPC) and the Filmoteca Vasca, in the endeavour to convey an attractive image of science and showcase San Sebastian’s strong bond with scientific research.

Following a stoppage of two years due to the pandemic, the activity for schools returns to the Velodrome in style with a proposal recovering its true festive spirit. For the occasion, the event has enjoyed the collaboration and involvement of the Robotics and Autonomous Systems Group (RSAIT) at the University of the Basque Country, led by Elena Lazkano and also made up of the computer experts and researchers Igor Rodriguez and Unai Zabala, who explained their research into social robotics in the city to the audience at the Velodrome.

The arrival on stage of Pepper, the social robot they are currently working with, surprised the children, who were delighted to see all the things it can do, from talking and moving like a human being, to dancing to the rhythm of the latest hits. Pepper even bid farewell to the audience at the Velodrome by signing an autograph like a real film star. 

Together with the robotics team, the opening event was attended by the director of the DIPC, Ricardo Díez Muiño, the director of the Filmoteca Vasca, and Lucía Olaciregui, Deputy Director of the San Sebastian Festival.

Next week, from Monday 19 to Friday 23, the groups of schoolchildren making their way to the Velodrome will have the opportunity to meet Pepper and enjoy the screening dubbed into Basque of Terra Willy: Planeta ezezaguna / Terra Willy: Unexplored Planet, an animated film directed by Eric Tosti telling the story of a boy who has to get by on an unexplored planet after an accident with the help of a survival bot and an alien creature.

This first Ikastetxeak Belodromoan event has confirmed the eagerness to enjoy the Velodrome’s giant screen as all available spaces for the six school screenings were taken in a little more than three days. A total of 13,200 children from 92 schools all over Gipuzkoa are expected to participate. And if the smiling faces of those who were here this morning are anything to go by, the outing will definitely be worth the effort.