Museum of the Moving Image and the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation have announced the winners of the 2023 Sloan Student Grand Jury Prize and 2023 Sloan Student Discovery Prize, who will each receive $20,000 to develop their science-themed screenplays.
Justine Beed of USC has won the Grand Jury Prize for her series pilot “La Forza,” while Lara Palmqvist of University of Texas at Austin was awarded the Discovery Prize for her feature script entitled “The Garden.”
Beed and Palmqvist were selected from a group of 10 nominees by a jury including Dr. Dwaipayan Banerjee (MIT), Dan Berger (President, Oscilloscope Laboratories), writer/director Sophie Barthes (“The Pod Generation”), actor/writer/director Anna Konkle (“PEN15”), Dr. Reyhaneh Maktoufi (Howard Hughes Medical Institute) and Dr. Katina Michael (Arizona State University).
Additionally, an honorable mention was awarded to Emma Zetterberg of NYU, who penned the feature script “The Light in Your Eyes.” The winners will be celebrated at an event held on Jan. 11 at the Museum of the Moving Image.
The Grand Jury Prize was established in 2011 and the Discovery Prize in 2019 with the goal of progressing the professional paths of diverse, burgeoning filmmakers who are transitioning from school to the film industry.
In addition to an award of $20,000 each, Beed and Palmqvist will receive industry exposure and year-round mentorship from both a science advisor and a film industry professional.
Read more about the winners below:
Sloan Student Grand Jury Prize Winner
“La Forza” by Justine Beed (USC)
Logline: “A semi-historical, romantic dramedy about the electric life of physicist Laura Bassi—the first female professor—and the husband who was her assistant.”
Jury citation: “‘La Forza’ is an exceptional treatment for a series—full of wit and romance—that tells the story of an underappreciated woman in science. The jury was impressed by the way in which the writer depicts eighteenth-century science and brings the characters to life. The jury is delighted to award the Sloan Student Grand Jury Prize to ‘La Forza.'”
Sloan Student Grand Jury Prize Honorable Mention
“The Light in Your Eyes” by Emma Zetterberg (NYU)
Logline: “Allvar Gullstrand, a Swedish scientist who won the Nobel Prize in 1911 for his contributions to understanding eyesight, is blinded by his own grief over losing his legacy and decides to prevent Albert Einstein from winning a Nobel Prize.”
Jury citation: “A gracefully written historical drama that explores scientific rivalry and a complex family relationship. The jury was moved by the honest dialogue, articulate storytelling, and the potential to visualize scientific concepts. The jury is pleased to award honorable mention to ‘The Light in Your Eyes.‘”
Sloan Student Discovery Prize Winner
“The Garden” by Lara Palmqvist (University of Texas, Austin)
Logline: “Drawing on timely concerns of climate change, biodiversity loss, and agricultural innovation, ‘The Garden’ follows a passionate plant breeder as he tries to secure his family’s future by developing genetically enhanced seeds while working for a controlling socialite who wants to transplant an elaborate garden onto her Kentucky estate. An ecological drama interested in interconnection, drawing links between social and environmental justice; opulence and exploitation; and food and the people who bring it to our plates.”
Jury citation: “The jury found ‘The Garden’ to be an impressive portrayal of a world grappling with the many devastating effects of climate change. The script is carefully attentive to the complexity of issues related to food production, plant genetics, and agricultural science. It is an original, poetic, and mythological, yet grounded, story.The jury is thrilled to award the Sloan Student Discovery Prize to ‘The Garden.'”
