The winners of 2023 Sloan Student Prizes –Justine Beed of USC for LA FORZA and Lara Palmqvist of University of Texas at Austin for THE GARDEN– were celebrated at Museum of the Moving Image in New York on January 11. The evening’s program included a reception and awards ceremony where the winnerswere presented with their prizes by two of the jurors who selected them, actor/writer/director Anna Konkle and Dr. Reyhaneh Maktoufi of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. Sloan Student Grand Jury Prize honorable mention Emma Zetterberg was also recognized during the program. The event also included remarks from MoMI Executive Director Aziz Isham, Curator of Science and Technology Sonia Epstein, Sloan Foundation VP and Program Director Doron Weber, and filmmaker Casimir Nozkowski. Afte accepting their awards, the winners had a conversation with writer Beatrice Loayza about the inspirations behind and aspirations for their respective projects.
Below, read more about the winning projects and check out photos from the celebration. Professional actors will perform staged readings of selected scenes from each winning project, produced and directed by Sloan grantee Mêlisa Annis, on March 16 as part of MoMI’s 2024 First Look Festival.
The winner of the 2023 Sloan Student Grand Jury Prize:
LA FORZA by Justine Beed (USC)
Logline: “A semi-historical, romantic dramedy about the electric life of physicist Laura Bassi—the first female professor—and the husband who was her assistant.”
Jury citation: “LA FORZA is an exceptional treatment for a series—full of wit and romance—that tells the story of an underappreciated woman in science. The jury was impressed by the way in which the writer depicts eighteenth-century science and brings the characters to life. The jury is delighted to award the Sloan Student Grand Jury Prize to LA FORZA.”
Justine Beed accepts her award. Photo Credit: Rob Kim, Getty Images for Museum of the Moving Image
Honorable Mention for the 2023 Sloan Student Grand Jury Prize:
THE LIGHT IN YOUR EYES by Emma Zetterberg (NYU)
Logline: “Allvar Gullstrand, a Swedish scientist who won the Nobel Prize in 1911 for his contributions to understanding eyesight, is blinded by his own grief over losing his legacy and decides to prevent Albert Einstein from winning a Nobel Prize.”
Jury citation: “A gracefully written historical drama that explores scientific rivalry and a complex family relationship. The jury was moved by the honest dialogue, articulate storytelling, and the potential to visualize scientific concepts. The jury is pleased to award honorable mention to THE LIGHT IN YOUR EYES.”
Justine Beed, Lara Palmqvist, Doron Weber and Emma Zetterberg. Photo Credit: Rob Kim, Getty Images for Museum of the Moving Image
The winner of the 2023 Sloan Student Discovery Prize:
THE GARDEN by Lara Palmqvist (University of Texas, Austin)
Logline: “Drawing on timely concerns of climate change, biodiversity loss, and agricultural innovation, THE GARDEN follows a passionate plant breeder as he tries to secure his family’s future by developing genetically enhanced seeds while working for a controlling socialite who wants to transplant an elaborate garden onto her Kentucky estate. An ecological drama interested in interconnection, drawing links between social and environmental justice; opulence and exploitation; and food and the people who bring it to our plates.”
Jury citation: “The jury found THE GARDEN to be an impressive portrayal of a world grappling with the many devastating effects of climate change. The script is carefully attentive to the complexity of issues related to food production, plant genetics, and agricultural science. It is an original, poetic, and mythological, yet grounded, story. The jury is thrilled to award the Sloan Student Discovery Prize to THE GARDEN.”
Lara Palmqvist accepts her award. Photo Credit: Rob Kim, Getty Images for Museum of the Moving Image
Lara Palmqvist (left) and Justine Beed (right) in conversation with Beatrice Loayza (center). Photo Credit: Rob Kim, Getty Images for Museum of the Moving Image
Lara Palmqvist, Emma Zetterberg, Dr. Reyhaneh Maktoufi, Casimir Nozkowski, Anna Konkle and Justine Beed. Photo Credit: Rob Kim, Getty Images for Museum of the Moving Image
Beatrice Loayza, Justine Beed, Doron Weber, Lara Palmqvist, and Aziz Isham. Photo Credit: Rob Kim, Getty Images for Museum of the Moving Image
Sonia Epstein, Beatrice Loayza, Casimir Nozkowski, Aziz Isham, Anna Konkle and Dr. Reyhaney Maktoufi. Photo Credit: Rob Kim, Getty Images for Museum of the Moving Image
FILMMAKERS
PARTNERS
TOPICS
SHARE