Sloan Science and Film

Obselidia wins Sloan Sundance Prize

February 1, 2010: Diane Bell’s Obselidia, the story of an encyclopedia salesman, a film projectionist, and a reclusive scientist, won the Alfred P. Sloan Prize at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival. The prize, which carries a $20,000 cash award, is presented annually to an outstanding feature focusing on science or technology as a theme, or depicting a scientist as a major character.

The Consolation of Science

In revealing the all-too-human aspects of Charles Darwin’s life, the new movie Creation explodes the stereotype of the cold, closed-off scientist. John Anderson talks to John Collee, the doctor-turned-novelist and screenwriter who wrote the film.

Award-Winning Short Films

Newly posted to our collection of Sloan award-winning shorts: Daniel Clifton’s For All Mankind. Also recently added: Joseph Mauceri’s Through the Air to Calais, Seth Dalton’s Melody of Clock and Arrow and a trailer for Randall Dottin’s Indelible.

TFI Sloan Filmmaker Fund

The TFI Sloan Filmmaker Fund will provide up to $140,000 in support of film projects that explore scientific, mathematical, or technological themes in their storylines, or that feature a leading character who is a scientist, engineer, innovator or mathematician. Deadline for submissions is January 11, 2010. Details on the application process and information on past grantees available here.

Sloan Tribute at Hamptons Festival

The Hamptons International Film Festival will mark the 10th anniversary of its annual Sloan Prize with the Sloan Science in Film Tribute on October 9 at 6 p.m. The event will feature past Sloan Prize recipients and special guests Bob Balaban and Alan Alda. The evening will also include the presentation of this year’s HIFF Sloan Prize to Alejandro Amenabar’s Agora. For tickets and information, send an inquiry to sloan@hamptonsfilmfest.org.

Sloan Films at Imagine Festival

The lineup for this year’s Imagine Science Film Festival includes five Sloan-awarded films: Rafael Del Toro’s 6 ft. in 7 Minutes (Columbia, 2005), Joshua Kameyer’s Chances Are (USC, 2006), Anupama Pradhan’s Dharini (AFI, 2005), Jonathan Sanden’s Extropy (NYU, 2006), and Mark Landsman’s Skylab (AFI, 2005).

A Romantic Hero with Asperger

Adam, a love story between an engineer with Asperger’s Syndrome and a woman who moves into his building, won the Sloan Prize at Sundance and is currently in theaters. Anthony Kaufman talks to writer-director Max Mayer about the process of creating a romantic leading man with this little-understood neurological disorder.

Sleep Dealer in theaters now

Alex Rivera’s Sleep Dealer, winner of the Sloan prize at Sundance in 2008, is now playing in New York and Los Angeles. In the Los Angeles Times, Kenneth Turan lauds it as "adventurous, ambitious, and ingeniously futuristic"; A.O. Scott in the New York Times calls it "an unusually thoughtful science fiction film." For Sloan Science and Film, Sam Adams talks to Rivera and co-writer David Riker.

Sloan Sundance Prize Goes to Adam

Max Mayer’s Adam, a love story between a man with Asperger’s Syndrome (Hugh Dancy) and a woman who moves into his building (Rose Byrne), won the Alfred P. Sloan Prize at the Sundance Film Festival. The film was selected "for its credible and moving portrayal of an engineer with Asperger’s Syndrome whose passion for science helps him in his struggle to achieve a meaningful relationship."

Sloan Film Summit

The AFI Sloan Film Summit 2008 took place in Hollywood from November 5 to 8. Events included panel discussions, screenings of Sloan Award-winning short films, and staged readings of Sloan Award-winning screenplays. Read John Anderson’s report.