By Stephanie Ornelas
Science is key in bridging the gap between the real and the potential. The Sundance Institute and The Sloan Foundation have been working for 20 years to encourage artists and viewers to imagine their futures and grasp the world not only as it is, but as it could be.
During the 20th annual Alfred P. Sloan Feature Film Prize Announcement and Reception, Doron Weber (Vice President and Program Director at the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation) announced three fellowship prizes to groundbreaking films that premiered at this year's Festival, the largest going to Kogonada's After Yang.
Our program and public understanding of science and technology seeks to bridge the two cultures of science and humanities by supporting an array of original works, says Weber.
The Sloan-Sundance Institute partnership has been a pioneering effort and Sundance [Institute] can truly be proud of its leading role in helping introduce science into film.
Before introducing each winner, Weber couldn't help but shine light on how far the science/film community has come. Looking back to previous Festivals, he highlights moments where there was seemingly a lack of understanding for many when it came to the importance of science in cinema.
When I started coming here in 2003, not everyone was sure what to make of us. At the awards ceremony, where there were only six jury prizes at Sundance Film Festival, the host flew over the science part and was more impressed by the $20,000 cash prize (the highest at Sundance FIlm Festival at the time), recalls Weber. We've come a long way since.
The Alfred P. Sloan Feature Film Prize is presented to a writer and director for the most outstanding depiction of science and technology in a feature film, and Koganada does just that with his this story about a man who must face the disconnection he has with his daughter as he searches for a way to repair her android companion.
Jurors describe the film as a deep poetic meditation on how technology can help us reflect on our humanity, and the ways our brains navigate memory, loss, and connection-even while it poses new challenges to our privacy, security, and identity.
I'm so humbled to receive this award. It's truly a privilege, says Koganada. More than ever we need these spaces that aren't driven by profit or driven by fear or power, but a space that is encouraging reflection. The DNA of cinema is all about science and technology. That medium doesn't exist without those advances.
In total, the grantees received $70,000 in funding for their projects in development. The Sloan Episodic Fellowship was awarded to Kathryn Lo, (Our Dark Lady), the Sloan Development Fellowship was granted to Nuhash Humayun, (Moving Bangladesh) and Sloan Commissioning Grant was given to Shawn Snyder and Jason Begue (The Futurist).
In science there's not only these beautiful, unknown worlds for us to untap and explore, but there's this perfect metaphor for a man's relentless, sisyphean search for meaning, both internally and externally, says Snyder.
We're delighted and grateful for Sundance [Institute], who has supported us in the past, and Sloan for continuing to believe in our voice and vision.
Weber also expressed the milestones both organizations have reached when it comes to lifting up women voices as he highlighted some astounding women-led projects.
We take pride in having supported dozens of films and scripts about the underappreciated role of women scientists, engineers and mathematicians, says Weber.
Director Kathryn Lo, winner of the Sloan Episodic Fellowship, is one of those pioneers. Her film Our Dark Lady centers around chemist Rosalind Franklin.
This award came at such a pivotal time for me because I was getting a lot of feedback from people in the industry about how there was too much science here, says Lo, referring to her film Our Dark Lady. They wanted to make the love story more prominent because Rosalind is a female protagonist and they thought that might make her more relatable, she continues.
I feel near-messianic belief that everyone should know about who Roselin Franklin was and what her contribution was. How we tell this story says something about who we are as a society.
The Sloan Foundation has supported over 68 visionary projects to date, over 20 years. The goal has always been to catalyze the development and presentation of film projects that explore science and technology ideas, and put scientists, mathematicians and engineers on the screen in engaging new ways.
North America Stories
30/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
30/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
30/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
30/05/2026
Zero in on one that says yes (and no)
Andy Marken May 29, 2026
0 Comments
Hero image courtesy of Deposit Photos
For content creators the most difficu...
29/05/2026
With InfoComm 2026 just weeks away, NDI is giving attendees plenty of reasons to...
29/05/2026
Reaffirming a partnership that has defined Canadian sports broadcasting since 19...
29/05/2026
Mobile/tablet is No. 2 device for watching TV, suggesting that the sports-production industry needs to take another look at the format
Ring Digital's Sprin...
29/05/2026
Berliner Ensemble, one of Berlin's five major theater companies, has expande...
29/05/2026
Solid State Logic will showcase its new compact, fly-away TCA Tour audio product...
29/05/2026
Gerald (Jerry) Pierce, a pioneering technologist who helped shape the digital transformation of the motion picture industry, passed away last month on April 12 ...
29/05/2026
Paramount+ will be the English-language U.S. home for Barclays Women's Super...
29/05/2026
Further strengthening its virtualisation strategy to fully support broadcasters ...
29/05/2026
Swiss broadcaster Canal Alpha has deployed Harmonic's award-winning, software-based XOS Advanced Media Processor to modernize playout operations across cant...
29/05/2026
PTZOptics will showcase a new generation of intelligent video workflows at InfoComm 2026, June 17-19, Las Vegas. Visitors to booth N8227 will see how PTZOptics ...
29/05/2026
Arizona's Family has launched the Arizona's Family Sports (AZFS) streaming app, a new direct-to-consumer destination for live, local sports. The app is ...
29/05/2026
Starting in 2027, DAZN will be the exclusive home of The Canadian Football Leagu...
29/05/2026
Comcast Business has detailed the advanced network infrastructure it has deploye...
29/05/2026
In two-day event, leaders from academia and industry explored solutions to chall...
29/05/2026
The Basketball Tournament (TBT), now entering their 13th year of competition, ha...
29/05/2026
Roku has launched FOX One as a Premium Subscription on The Roku Channel in the U.S. Roku customers can now subscribe to FOX One using their Roku account for liv...
29/05/2026
In its sixth year, the broadcaster's coverage has become a global brand and ...
29/05/2026
Ratings Roundup is a rundown of recent ratings news and is derived from press re...
29/05/2026
Gerald (Jerry) Pierce, a pioneering technologist who helped shape the digital transformation of the motion picture industry, died April 12, 2026, at his home in...
29/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/05/2026
Comparing 5 AI Video Enhancers for Restoring Old Video Quality
Kate Luvis May 29, 2026
0 Comments
Digitizing VHS, MiniDV, and other legacy formats doe...
29/05/2026
Studio Hamburg Builds New Post Pipeline with DaVinci Resolve Studio
Brie Clayton May 29, 2026
0 Comments
Workflow replaces a patchwork of legacy tools...
29/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/05/2026
At the Intersection of Music and Dance, an Epic Collaboration Boston Conservatory musicians and dancers found creative parallels in their recent performance o...
29/05/2026
Something fundamental has shifted in how people consume media. Audiences aren't abandoning television or radio content; they're just expanding how, wher...
29/05/2026
Back to All News
The Official Trailer of Physical 100 Italy, on Netflix From Se...
29/05/2026
Experimental HIV vaccine achieves a long-sought goal In a first for the field, all non-human primates given a new series of vaccines generated antibodies capabl...
28/05/2026
FOX Sports' MLB coverage dominated the night at the 47th Annual Sports Emmy ...
28/05/2026
One of the most memorable postseasons in baseball history would have had no memo...
28/05/2026
NBC's Sunday Night Football is among the most-decorated and most-watched pro...
28/05/2026
The 2026 Sports Emmys marked a watershed moment for Prime Video Sports. After bu...
28/05/2026
Hosted by ESPN Senior Writer Ryan McGee, the ceremony honored winners from athletic departments, conference offices, professional networks, production companies...
28/05/2026
Major rights-holders rolled out their 2026 college football slates today, offering a first look at marquee windows, kickoff partners, and conference distributio...
28/05/2026
The 4 Nations Face-Off, an international competition that launched in February 2...
28/05/2026
Soccer is a truly global sport, and, to match the U.S. viewing audience's in...
28/05/2026
The NFL Today, CBS Sports' top-of-the-line NFL studio show, has a storied hi...
28/05/2026
Prime Video is no stranger to innovation, and, within the realm of live streamin...
28/05/2026
The crack of the bat, the pop of the glove, and the cheer of the crowd: those are three prime examples of the glorious sounds fans hear on televised baseball ga...
28/05/2026
Every year, March Madness captivates the entire sports world. Nonstop action, un...
By Stephanie Ornelas 
