The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) has partnered with the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation to create a new program to support science and tech themes on screen, including the creation of a pitch program, fellowship and film showcase.

The program, funded by the New York-based Sloan Foundation, kicks off at this year’s TIFF with the Sloan Science and Technology Project Pitch. The pitch program is open to Canadian and international creators at early or mid-career, and will see four participants present their film or episodic projects to industry experts in a non-competitive pitch event.

The selected projects will receive mentorship from an expert pitch coach and $15,000 in development support, according to a news release.

Applications for the project pitch opened on Monday (May 1) and close on June 12.

Breakthroughs: The Sloan Science on Screen Programme will also offer a fellowship to one early- to mid-career screenwriter who will receive a project development grant of $35,000 and creative support, including participation in the TIFF Writers’ Studio. Applications for the fellowship will open in fall.

There will also be a special spotlight for two science-themed films every year as part of The Sloan Science on Film Showcase, with one official selection title at TIFF in September, and one year-round programming title at TIFF Bell Lightbox.

One screening of each film will include a discussion between a member of the film team and a scientific expert, said the release.

“The intersections of art, science and technology have never been more relevant as artists and scientists seek to understand, invent and reflect the world around us,” said TIFF chief programming officer Anita Lee in a statement.

Sloan’s Film Program has supported more than 750 film projects and has helped develop over 30 feature films, including Tesla, The Imitation Game and feature documentaries like Werner Herzog’s Theatre of Thought, according to the release.

The film program also gave early award recognition to Matt Johnson’s Canadian-shot feature BlackBerry, produced by Toronto-based Rhombus Media and Zapruder Films, with the Sloan Science on Screen Prize at the San Francisco International Film Festival last month.

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