Film Independent, in partnership with the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, has recently awarded $80,000 in support of new narrative projects that tackle science or technology themes or characters. The $50,000 Sloan Distribution Grant is awarded annually to a feature film enterting its distribution phase. This year's winner is RADICAL, directed by Christopher Zalla, which made its world premiere at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival where it won the "Festival Favorite" award. It is based on the true story of a middle-school teacher in Mexico who tries a new teaching method. The film will be released in theaters in the U.S. on November 3.

The Sloan Producer's Grant, $30,000 for a project in Film Independent's Producer's Lab, has been awarded to SMOKE COUNTRY. The film, currently in development, is set on an Australian bee farm following a devastating wildfire. Accepting the grant, producer Fiona Hardingham acknowledged, "bridging science and humanity, our film SMOKE COUNTRY interweaves the climate crisis with an intimate portrait of a family displaced by wildfires. With the climate crisis looming large, telling this story now is not only essential but a genuine effort to inspire actionable change."

Stay tuned to Science & Film for more as these projects develop.