SFFILM, in partnership with the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, has announced the winners of the Sloan Science in Cinema Filmmaker Fellowships. Two filmmakers were shortlisted, with grants supporting the development of their narrative feature film scripts.
Microchip engineer-turned-director Temi Ojo was selected for his screenplay A faceless man, which tells the story of an old black man who undergoes a face transplant. The screenplay is inspired by the true story of Robert Chelsea, the first black man (and oldest person) to receive a face transplant.
Mark Ingber was also selected for his titled screenplay Territorywhich follows a biochemistry PhD candidate who returns to her family’s failing winery in an attempt to save the family business.
Ojo and Inger 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. In addition to receiving art mentorship and office space, fellows will be connected to a science advisor whose expertise in the themes of their script will enhance the representation of science or technology in their films. .
The SFFILM Sloan Science in Cinema initiative was launched in 2015 to celebrate and showcase cinema that brings together the science and art of storytelling, showing how these two seemingly disparate fields can combine to empower each other. The selections aim to immerse a large audience in the challenges and benefits of scientific discovery, as well as to engage members of the scientific community.
“The scientific process, just like cinema, requires patience, vision, crucial support at the outset, and celebration as experiments and projects materialize,” said Anne Lai, executive director of SFFILM, in a press release. “We are very proud to partner with the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation on our Science in Cinema initiative. Through these programs, we are able to support Film Fellows as they refine their stories, and we can increase the impact of science with our film-loving audiences. We are grateful for this significant partnership and the material impact it has on filmmakers and audiences.
“We are delighted to partner with SFFILM to announce the 2022 winners of the Sloan Science in Cinema Filmmaker Fellowships, as part of our national program to support films portraying scientific subjects or figures and highlighting the contributions of underrepresented groups,” Doron added. Weber, Vice President and Program Director at the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. “This year’s two fantastic winning projects, a social comedy about viticulture in the south of France and a heartbreaking drama about the first black man to undergo a face transplant in the United States, not only showcase the range and diversity of topics covered in this programme, but how science and technology are redefining and remaking reality in contemporary life.
