Deadline: June 3, 2022
Applications for the Sloan Science in Cinema Filmmaker Fellowship 2022 are now open. The Science in Cinema Filmmaker Fellowship is funded by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation as part of their mission to champion films that explore scientific or technological themes or characters. SFFILM will award fellowships to filmmakers in the screenwriting phase of developing a screenplay that tells a story related to science or technology.
Winners of the Sloan Science in Cinema Filmmaker Fellowship will receive a $35,000 cash grant and a two-month residency at FilmHouse, SFFILM’s suite of production offices for local and visiting independent filmmakers. The residency program provides filmmakers with artistic guidance, office space, a vibrant creative community, and mentorship from established filmmakers and members of the independent film industry. To strengthen the film’s portrayal of science or technology, each fellow will be connected to a science advisor with expertise in the subjects at the center of their screenplays, as well as leaders in the Bay Area’s science and technology communities.
Eligibility
- Applicant may not be an SFFILM or Sloan employee or member of any SFFILM or Sloan boards.
- Applicant must be at least 18 years old.
- All grant recipients and co-applicants must become SFFILM members at the Film Fan level or above prior to SFFILM distributing funds to the project.
- Primary applicant must be in a key creative role for the film: screenwriter, director, or producer.
Project Criteria
- Project must be feature length.
- Project cannot be a work for hire.
- Project must be consistent with SFFILM’s mission and represent an imaginative contribution to the moving image art form
- There must be realistic scientific or technological content at the center of the screenplay.
- Writers must have the intention of working with scientific advisors to ensure the accuracy or their stories.
- Science-fiction and speculative stories are, in almost every case, ineligible. In some rare cases, a futuristic story might be eligible if it involves science or technology that is truly on the cusp of being introduced to society.
Application
Here is a sample of a few of the questions you will find in the online application:
- Bio. (200 words or less)
- Logline. In a couple of sentences, describe the crux of your film. (75 words or less)
- Project synopsis. (300 words or less)
- Trailer or other work sample. (They will watch no more than 5 minutes of submitted footage)
- What scientific research have you conducted thus far?
- To date, what support have you received for this project?
- List all sources such as awards, residencies, grants, donations, investments, and in-kind.
- List the names and roles and other key (2-3) individuals involved in the project. Briefly describe their qualifications.
- Additional application materials are required as follows:
- Current script sample: Ten pages of the script you are applying with. The ten pages do not need to be the first ten pages. Select what you believe to be the best ten pages.
- Script sample explanation: This should introduce the script pages from the project for which you are applying and provide context as well as any other pertinent information that would be helpful for the review panel to consider, such as which draft of the film this is and why you selected this passage.
For more information, visit SFFILM.
