'Project Hail Mary' Wins SFFILM Sloan Science Prize — SkimNews
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- SFFILM, in partnership with the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, announced the Sloan Science in Cinema Prize will go to 'Project Hail Mary' with a $20,000 cash prize and a special screening on October 28 at One Letterman in San Francisco.
- 'Project Hail Mary' grossed $684 million at the box office via Amazon MGM (domestic) and Sony (international) plus IMAX, and Amazon MGM Studios is now positioning it as its most potent Best Picture vehicle with planned fall tastemaker events.
- Ryan Gosling is in the Best Actor conversation for portraying a scientist marooned alone on a spacecraft, with Sandra Hüller and James Ortiz (as the sage extraterrestrial Rocky) also cited for awards consideration.
- Phil Lord and Chris Miller's film, adapted from Andy Weir's novel, will be the subject of an onstage conversation featuring Oscar-winning VFX supervisor Paul Lambert, co-VFX supervisor Mag Sarnowska, sound designers Erik Aadahl and Ethan Van der Ryn, screenwriter Drew Goddard, and astrophysical scientist Dr. Ron Radeztsky.
- Doron Weber of the Sloan Foundation noted the prize joins over 900 science and film projects supported by the foundation, with past SFFILM Sloan Science in Cinema Prize winners including 'Oppenheimer,' 'Twisters,' 'Don't Look Up,' 'Hidden Figures,' and 'The Martian.'
Why it matters: The Sloan Prize adds another credential to a film that already grossed $684 million and is being positioned by Amazon MGM as its strongest Best Picture vehicle. Past SFFILM Sloan winners include 'Oppenheimer,' giving the Gosling-led space drama a high-profile precedent for converting science-focused recognition into Oscar momentum — and for Amazon, a rare awards-season foothold against the major streamers.
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