The Sundance Institute has announced a new grant and a $20,000 prize from the Alfred P Sloan Foundation to develop and reward films that explore science and technology.

Each year a selected project from the Sundance Institute Feature Film Program will receive support from development to pre-production with year-round resources.

Submissions for 2003 are currently being taken and interested film-makers and screenwriters can apply by Nov 6 to the January Screenwriters Lab by sending an email requesting an application to FeatureFilmProgram@sundance.org. More information on the Feature Film Program is available at www.sundance.org.

The Alfred P Sloan Prize will be presented to an outstanding dramatic feature that "insightfully probes science or technology" and is screening at the Sundance Film Festival. During the Film Festival, the Sundance Institute will convene a panel of film-makers and scientists to discuss the portrayal of science in popular films in the Science In Film Forum. The multi-year project blends the Sloan Foundation's goal of enhancing public understanding of science and technology with the Institute's mission to foster independent voices and compelling storytelling in film.

"Through this grant, the Alfred P Sloan Foundation is directly supporting the development of emerging filmmakers through the Sundance Institute programs and is recognizing the Sundance Film Festival as an important launching pad for films to reach a broader audience," Ken Brecher, executive director of the Sundance Institute, said in a statement released today. "We are excited about this opportunity to support the creation and exhibition of innovative films that will help us to understand and appreciate the role of science and technology in our lives."

The New York-based Alfred P Sloan Foundation, founded in 1934, makes grants in science, technology, and economic performance. Over the past five years, Sloan has partnered with six of the top film schools in the country - AFI, Carnegie Mellon, Columbia, NYU, UCLA, and USC - and established annual awards in screenwriting and film production. The Foundation has also started an annual Sloan Feature Film Prize at the Hamptons International Film Festival and initiated new screenwriting workshops at the Hamptons and Tribeca.