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.
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
06/09/2026
June 9 2026, 23:00 (PDT) Dolby and MagentaTV Bring Fans Closer to the FIFA Worl...
04/08/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
04/07/2026
April 7 2026, 19:00 (PDT) Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in...
03/07/2026
New bundle & three Single Packs
Continuing to expand their already sizeable orchestral collection, VSL's latest release introduces three new Single Pack...
03/07/2026
Venue installs new ATC-equipped control room
LSO St Luke's, a unique music venue that also serves as the home of the London Symphony Orchestra, have rec...
03/07/2026
Caden Pearson appointed new Commissioning Editor for NITV
3 July, 2026
Media releases
National Indigenous Television (NITV) has strengthened its commitment...
03/07/2026
1 February 2023
SHARE Facebook Twitter Linkedin Email
Munich, Germany, 1st February 2023: Cinegy GmbH, the premier provider of software technology for digit...
03/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
03/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
03/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
03/07/2026
Death Star
Andy Marken July 2, 2026
0 Comments
Look, I can't get involved. I've got work to do. It's not that I like the Empire; I hate i...
03/07/2026
Berklee's New Visual Identity: Honoring Our History, Building for What's...
03/07/2026
Scripps Research scientists awarded $2M to advance global disease surveillance Two Gates Foundation grants will expand wastewater surveillance and AI-driven dis...
03/07/2026
Joan Pulupa joins Scripps Research faculty to study the organization of DNA in brain cells and its links to neurodegeneration Using smell-sensing neurons and ad...
02/07/2026
Entering her senior year, this hometown girl is paving a career in live sports production gaining experience in replay and audio and as a TD
In the live-sports...
02/07/2026
In-venue and creative video staffers at the professional and collegiate level ha...
02/07/2026
BLAST, a competitive entertainment company focused on esports, has announced more than $133 million in revenue for 2025, representing more than 40% year-over-ye...
02/07/2026
Riedel Communications has announced official SKAARHOJ panel support for SimplyLive production workflows, enabled through the SimplyLive 2.1 release. The integra...
02/07/2026
The Fire Rescue Service of the Czech Republic has deployed LiveU video-over-bond...
02/07/2026
Gravity Media USA has announced the appointment of Brittney Boston as Head of Business Development, effective July 1, 2026. Based in Nashville, Tennessee, Bosto...
02/07/2026
TwelveLabs, a video intelligence company, has announced $100 million in Series B funding co-led by NEA and NAVER Ventures, with participation from Amazon, Radic...
02/07/2026
The Pro Padel League (PPL) has announced a broadcast partnership with USA Sports that will air five PPL championship matches on CNBC during the 2026 season, the...
02/07/2026
LiveLike, a digital fan engagement platform, has announced eight confirmed FIFA ...
02/07/2026
Cobalt Digital has received Future's Best of Show Award, presented by AV Technology at InfoComm 2026, for its blueCORE family of standalone signal processor...
02/07/2026
Synamedia has announced the appointment of Dr. Tzvi Gerstl as Chief Executive Officer. Paul Segre, who has served as CEO for the past six years, will transition...
02/07/2026
The Esports Foundation (EF) and Sony Group Corporation have announced an expanded collaboration for the Esports World Cup 2026 (EWC), taking place in Paris, Fra...
02/07/2026
Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd. ( Z') has announced exclusive broadcast and digital rights for the Bundesliga in India for five years, beginning with the...
02/07/2026
An effort uniting News, Sports, Local, and Telemundo, the 50+-camera live produc...
02/07/2026
Zoey Deutch, John Slattery, Ken Marino, Miles Gutierrez-Riley, and Ben Wang appe...
02/07/2026
Stammering, stuttering, strangulated tones
The Crow Hill Company's latest creation promises to be the most original sound set they've produced to d...
02/07/2026
A new era in unmixing and spectral editing
The latest version of Steinberg's spectral audio-editing software has just arrived, building on the strength...
02/07/2026
Aims to simplify additive synthesis
Sine Machine is the debut launch from Melatonin, a Vienna-based developer who have spent the past six years creating wha...
02/07/2026
Products to remain fully active & supported
Following the news of Native Instruments joining the inMusic brand line-up, Academy and Emmy Award-winning visua...
02/07/2026
What you missed!
Last weekend, Saturday 27 June 2026, saw the debut of Sound On Sounds new GearExpo UK event, the largest dedicated pro-audio event to take ...
02/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
02/07/2026
Following the successful launch of its inaugural APAC Mentoring Programme last month, the Rise AV APAC Regional Council will bring the conversation around mento...
02/07/2026
Blackmagic PYXIS 6K Used to Shoot Director Takahisa Zeze's Cry Out
Brie Clayton July 2, 2026
0 Comments
Highly mobile camera supports tense and de...
02/07/2026
Broadcast Solutions acquires BFE, expanding its lead in European broadcast, medi...
02/07/2026
Berklee Alum and Faculty Perform at Boston Public Library's 250th Anniversar...
02/07/2026
Broadcast Solutions GmbH, a leading systems integrator and provider of innovative solutions for the broadcast media industry, is acquiring BFE Studio und Medien...
02/07/2026
Cinegy GmbH, the premier provider of software-defined television technology, has extended the ingest facility at leading Brazilian sports company LiveMode, work...
02/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
02/07/2026
Standalone processors acknowledged for the innovation and value they bring to Pro AV
Cobalt Digital, a leading designer and manufacturer of signal processing ...
02/07/2026
Synamedia announced today the appointment of Dr Tzvi Gerstl as Chief Executive Officer. Paul Segre, who has served as CEO for the past six years, will transitio...
02/07/2026
Screen Australia backs audience-led filmmaking with new insight-driven initiativ...
02/07/2026
Screen Australia refines guidelines for Narrative Content Development and Docume...
02/07/2026
Maxon Autograph: Introduction to working with Tables
Simon Ubsdell July 1, 2026
0 Comments
An overview of Autograph's ridiculously powerful tables...
02/07/2026
Boston Conservatory's Soir e Breaks Records to Fund Student Scholarships The event achieved 127 percent of its fundraising goal in an evening celebrating ...
By Stephanie Ornelas 
