As the film, it prepares for next year’s 20th edition of the Oxford Film Festival, taking place in Oxford, Mississippi, March 1-6, 2022, OxFilm has announced that the film festival will be a recipient of the Science on Screen® grant for the first time from the Coolidge Corner Theatre and the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation joining 40 other independent cinemas, museums, community groups and film programs across the country who will also be part of the prestigious program. The grant will benefit both next year’s edition of the film festival as well as OxFilm’s year-round programs.
Oxford Film Festival Executive Director Matt Wymer, said, “As we gear up for our big 20th Anniversary edition of the Oxford Film Festival, this is a big win for the organization, both in terms of the funds which will support next year’s presentation, screenings, panels, and events, but also because it underlines the notice we are receiving nationally for the work we have done and the success we have seen leading up to now. Wymer added, “The Oxford Film Festival has a long track record for being cited by important cultural organizations and groups and receiving grants vital to continuing operations from those groups nationally and statewide. And now we are adding science to that roster and we couldn’t be happier.”
Grants totaling $245,000 will be given to the group of recipients, with each organization receiving up to $8,500 to create and present three or more Science on Screen events, which pair expert-led discussions of scientific topics with screenings of feature and documentary films. At least one of the films shown by grantees must be a past recipient of the annual Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Feature Film Prize or a Sloan Development Grant.
“We are thrilled to continue our partnership with the Coolidge Corner Theatre to support the Science on Screen program,” said Doron Weber, Vice President and Program Director at the Sloan Foundation. “These events, which pair expert speakers with popular titles such as Sloan- winning films Hidden Figures, Don’t Look Up and After Yang, demonstrate that science can illuminate films just as films can illuminate science. We’re especially proud that theaters are selecting recent Sloan-supported documentaries such as Theater of Thought, Picture a Scientist, and How to Survive a Pandemic and bringing attention to urgent contemporary issues.”
Science on Screen was initially conceived and established in 2005 for Coolidge Corner Theatre audiences in greater Boston, which boasts one of the nation’s largest populations of life and physical scientists. In 2011, the Sloan Foundation partnered with the theatre to take Science on Screen nationwide and to make it an integral part of its coast-to-coast film program. To date, the Sloan Foundation has awarded the Coolidge more than $4 million to support the program, including the creation of a website (scienceonscreen.org) where information on these programs and archived videos of the speakers’ presentations are available to the public.
Science on Screen grant recipients are chosen based on the need for science-related programming in their community, the strength of their proposed Science on Screen programs, the success of past Science on Screen programs (for returning grantees), and their location.
All of these grant recipients—which span 42 states from coast to coast—play a significant role in the cultural life of their communities, with successful track records of building strong community partnerships and producing creative, thought-provoking film programs that both educate and entertain audiences.
The 2022−23 Science on Screen grantees include seven first-time participants:
● Block Museum of Art (Northwestern University), Evanston, Ill.
● Des Moines Film / Varsity Cinema, Des Moines, Iowa
● Lawrence Arts Center, Lawrence, Kan.
● Museum of Discovery and Science, Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
● OxFilm, Oxford, Miss.
● Rooftop Films, Brooklyn, N.Y.
● Taos Center for the Arts, Taos, N.M.
Grantees returning to Science on Screen in 2022−23 are:
● Amherst Cinema, Amherst, Mass.
● Arena Theater, Port Arena, Calif.
● Arkansas Cinema Society, Little Rock, Ark.
● Art House Billings, Billings, Mont.
● Athens Ciné, Athens, Ga.
● Austin Film Society, Austin, Texas
● Belcourt Theatre, Nashville, Tenn.
● California Film Institute, San Rafael, Calif.
● Cameo Cinema, St. Helena, Calif.
● Cinema Arts Centre, Huntington, N.Y.
● Cinema Detroit, Detroit, Mich.
● County Theater, Doylestown, Penn.
● Enzian Theater, Maitland, Fla.
● Film Streams, Omaha, Neb.
● FilmScene, Iowa City, Iowa
● Frida Cinema, Santa Ana, Calif.
● Gene Siskel Film Center, Chicago, Ill.
● Grand Cinema, Tacoma, Wash.
● JUMP / Gold Town Theater, Juneau, Alaska
● The Loft Cinema, Tucson, Ariz.
● Martha’s Vineyard Film Society, Vineyard Haven, Mass.
● Media Arts Center San Diego, San Diego, Calif.
● Michigan Theater, Ann Arbor, Mich.
● Montclair Film, Montclair, N.J.
● New York International Children’s Film Festival, New York, N.Y.
● Philadelphia Film Society, Philadelphia, Penn.
● Ragtag Cinema, Columbia, Mo.
● Real Art Ways, Hartford, Conn.
● Rosendale Theatre, Rosendale, N.Y.
● Roxy Theater, Missoula, Mont.
● Salina Art Center, Salina, Kan.
● Tull Family Theater, Sewickley, Penn.
● Willcox Theater, Willcox, Ariz.
