Apr 30, 2022
SFFILM
Linoleum received the Festival’s Sloan Science on Screen Award with a first-ever cash prize of $5,000.
San Francisco, CA — Saturday, April 30, 2022 – SFFILM, in partnership with the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, honored Linoleum with the Sloan Science on Screen Award at the 65th San Francisco International Film Festival. The award celebrates the compelling depiction of science in a narrative feature film.
In partnership with the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation—the nation’s leading philanthropic grantor for science and the arts—the nonprofit SFFILM launched its Sloan Science in Cinema initiative in 2015 to shine a spotlight on cinema that brings together science and the art of storytelling, showing how these two seemingly disparate areas can combine to enhance the power of one another. The selections are meant to immerse a broad public audience in the challenges and rewards of scientific discovery, as well as to engage members of the scientific community.
The initiative includes exhibition opportunities, awards, and screenwriting fellowships that foster collaboration between scientists and artists and elevate filmmakers who tackle scientific or technological themes and characters.
“We are thrilled and honored to grow our longstanding partnership with the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation with this new award presented this year to Linoleum, directed by Colin West,” said SFFILM Executive Director Anne Lai. “The Sloan Foundation’s commitment to illuminating the intersections between science, technology, and our daily lives through the power of cinematic storytelling continues to yield exciting new films. We are grateful for this meaningful partnership and the material impact it has on filmmakers and audiences alike.”
“We’re thrilled to join SFFILM in honoring this deceptively simple and multi-layered film by writer/director Colin West, starring Jim Gaffigan in a double role,” said Doron Weber, Vice President and Program Director at the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. “This off-beat, surreal-seeming dramatic comedy about an engineer and aspiring astronaut in small-town America whose life is unraveling, is also a poignant story about a contemporary American family, complete with marriage problems, gender nonconformity, and the dark mysteries of how memory and love function across time. Or, for those who speak Hollywood-ese, think Memento meets It’s a Wonderful Life!”
About the Film
Linoleum, Colin West, USA – When a satellite falls from the sky, Cameron (Jim Gaffigan) finds his life upended. A strange newcomer threatens his job as the host of a quaint children’s science show at the local television station, while his family life begins to crumble. His steely wife Erin (Rhea Seehorn) attempts to guide their wayward daughter, grow her own career, and deal with her husband’s increasingly bizarre behavior. Meanwhile, Cameron steadfastly ignores the series of odd events and mysterious individuals in his small hometown as he obsessively builds a rocket ship from the satellite debris, chasing a childhood dream. This quirky, sweet film leads to unexpected places, unfolding into a profound meditation on love as Cameron searches for meaning and adventure amongst the stars.
Linoleum received its SFFILM Festival premiere on Tuesday, April 26, at the historic Castro Theatre, followed by a presentation of the Sloan Science on Screen Award and $5,000 cash prize, and a conversation with director Colin West, producer Chad Simpson, and star Jim Gaffigan.
Running April 21–May 1, the SFFILM Festival showcases more than 130 films from 56 countries.
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2022 San Francisco International Film Festival (SFFILM Festival)
Founded in 1957, the San Francisco International Film Festival (SFFILM Festival) is the longest-running film festival in the Americas. The 11 day event features a range of marquee premieres, international competitions, compelling documentaries, new digital media work, live music performances, and dazzling red carpet events. The SFFILM Festival is deeply rooted in the culture and process of film appreciation—film as an art form and as a meaningful agent for social change—and is an important showcase for the most searching and innovative films from around the globe. The 65th edition runs April 21–May 1, 2022.
The Alfred P. Sloan Foundation
The Alfred P. Sloan Foundation is a New York based, philanthropic institution that makes grants for research in science, technology, and economics; quality and diversity of scientific institutions; and public engagement with science. Sloan’s program in Public Understanding of Science and Technology, directed by Doron Weber, supports books, radio, film, television, theater, and new media to bridge the two cultures of science and the humanities. The Foundation works with about 20 film school and film festival partners and has supported over 750 film projects, including over 30 feature films. For more information visit sloan.org or follow @SloanPublic on Twitter or Facebook.
SFFILM
SFFILM is a nonprofit organization whose mission ensures independent voices in film are welcomed, heard, and given the resources to thrive. SFFILM connects and inspires audiences, students and teachers, and filmmakers through film exhibition, youth education, and artist development programs. Annual public film programs include the SFFILM Festival which is the longest running film festival in the Americas, Doc Stories documentary series, special events with the best and brightest in contemporary film, and family programming. SFFILM Education serves more than 15,000 students and educators with learning opportunities designed to cultivate media literacy, global citizenship, and a lifelong love of movies. SFFILM Makers supports the careers of independent filmmakers from the Bay Area and beyond with grants, residencies, and other creative development services.
For more information visit sffilm.org
This press release is available online at sffilm.org/press/releases
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