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Abdus Salam. The Dream of Symmetry

1. Author: Giuseppe Mussardo
2. Director: Diego Cenetiempo
3. Screenplay: Giuseppe Mussardo
4. Scientific Advisor: Luisa Bonolis
5. Editor: Diego Cenetiempo
6. Photography: Daniele Trani
7. Animation: Vanja Semec
8. Sound: Davide Rizzatti
9. Production: Pilgrim Film/The Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics, The Academy of Sciences for the Developing World, Consorzio per la Fisica Trieste
10. Italy
11. 57 min.
12. 2011

From a remote village in Pakistan to high-prestige Cambridge colleges, from the vibrant atmosphere of London to the central-European mood of Trieste. Following the development of 20th-century theoretical physics, the film tells the engaging story of the life of Abdus Salam, Nobel Laureate for Physics in 1979 and founder of the International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP) in Trieste. In less than half a century, this think-tank promoted the activity of over 100thousand scientists, mostly from developing countries.

After leaving his country of origin, Abdus Salam quickly completed his academic studies and became one of the main figures on the scientific international scene. Meanwhile, elementary particles were discovered, and substance was given to the dream of a unified theory of elementary particles and of the fundamental forces of Nature. A dream that supports the entire scientific work of Salam and, particularly, his pioneer activity on electroweak unification, for which he received the Nobel prize that he shares with Sheldon Glashow and Steven Weinberg.

Through the direct testimony of the main representatives of international science, including Nobel Laureates for Physics David Gross, Gerard ‘t Hooft, and Steven Weinberg, the film outlines the scientific and human profile of the multi-faceted figure of Abdus Salam at one of the most creative and exciting times in the history of physics.