SFFILM Grants Fuel Science in Cinema

SFFILM announced grants and awards totaling $115,000 for its Sloan Science in Cinema Initiative at the 69th San Francisco International Film Festival. The festival runs through May 4. The Sloan Science on Screen Award, with a $5,000 prize, was presented to Ildikó Enyedi's film "Silent Friend." This film, which premiered at Venice, stars Tony Leung Chiu-wai, Léa Seydoux, and Luna Wedler. It explores souls connected across a century by an ancient ginkgo tree. The award ceremony and a screening occurred on Sunday, April 26, at the Premier Theater. The event included a conversation between director Enyedi and UC Berkeley professor Benjamin Blackman. SFFILM's executive director, Anne Lai, highlighted the initiative's decade-long success in bringing science and cinema together, noting how it helps audiences better understand the world. She emphasized that this year's fellows are developing screenplays where scientific processes shape the narrative. The Alfred P. Sloan Foundation's vice president, Doron Weber, expressed excitement for "Silent Friend" and the selected screenwriters. He noted the program has supported over 850 science and film projects nationwide, honoring acclaimed directors. The Sloan Science in Cinema Fellowship recipients receive $35,000 and access to SFFILM's FilmHouse. The Sloan Stories of Science Development Fund provides grants up to $20,000 to filmmakers developing screenplays inspired by scientific discoveries. This year's supported projects include stories about an engineer confronting gentrification, an anthropologist pursuing a mythical tiger, NASA's first-contact communication protocols, and a mission to prove life on a distant moon.