Sloan Science in Cinema Filmmaker Fellowship

Overview

The Sloan Science in Cinema Filmmaker Fellowship is a partnership between SFFILM and the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, supporting narrative feature filmmakers whose work centres on scientific themes, characters, and discoveries. Each annual cycle awards $70,000 in cash grants distributed across selected fellows, who additionally receive access to SFFILM's filmmaker development programs and professional network.

The Alfred P. Sloan Foundation has a long-standing commitment to promoting public understanding of science through film, funding similar programs at Sundance Institute, Film Independent, the Tribeca Festival, and other major film organisations. The SFFILM Sloan Fellowship is one component of this broader Sloan science-in-film ecosystem.

What It Funds

The fellowship supports narrative features -- scripted films rather than documentaries -- that place science, scientists, technology, or scientific discovery at the centre of their storytelling. The Sloan Foundation's interest is in films that create more realistic and accurate representations of science and scientists in popular culture, challenging existing stereotypes and bringing the excitement and complexity of scientific work to general audiences.

Selected fellows receive cash grants toward the development or production of their narrative feature, alongside:

• Access to SFFILM's filmmaker development infrastructure and programming
• Connection to the broader Sloan science-in-film community across multiple partner organisations
• Visibility within the SFFILM festival and maker community

The 2024 cycle awarded the fellowship to two projects -- Sara Crow and David Rafailedes's Satoshi and Lara Palmqvist's The Garden -- with $70,000 in grants distributed across the cohort.

Eligibility

Projects must be narrative feature films centred on scientific themes, characters, or discoveries. Documentaries about science are not eligible for this fellowship -- the Sloan Foundation funds a separate Stories of Science Development Fund at SFFILM for documentary projects, and filmmakers should confirm which track matches their format before applying.

Applicants must be US-based filmmakers. Both emerging and mid-career narrative directors are eligible. Filmmakers may submit simultaneously for multiple SFFILM narrative grants using a single application submission, with additional supplemental questions per grant.

The Broader Sloan Science-in-Film Ecosystem

The Alfred P. Sloan Foundation funds science-in-film programs at multiple organisations simultaneously. Filmmakers who want to navigate the full ecosystem should also look at the Sundance Institute Science-in-Film initiative and Film Independent's Sloan Foundation Grants, which operate on similar mandates but with distinct eligibility windows and advisory structures.

Who Should Apply

Narrative feature filmmakers developing or producing a scripted film in which science, scientists, or scientific discovery plays a central dramatic role. Both debut and experienced directors are eligible. The fellowship is competitive, and the strongest applications demonstrate both cinematic ambition and a genuine engagement with scientific subject matter rather than science as a superficial backdrop.

See Also

For the documentary track of SFFILM's Sloan program, see the SFFILM Sloan Science in Cinema Fellowship entry. For production planning once the fellowship is awarded, use the Production Schedule Calculator.