SFFILM Awards 'Project Hail Mary' Sloan Science in Cinema Prize

SFFILM will award its Sloan Science in Cinema Prize to "Project Hail Mary," the Ryan Gosling-starring adaptation of Andy Weir's best-selling novel, boosting the Amazon MGM Studios release's re-entry into awards season.

The San Francisco film organization announced the prize in partnership with the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. A special screening honoring the award takes place on Wednesday, October 28 at 6:30 p.m. at One Letterman in San Francisco. The prize carries a $20,000 cash award.

Released in March, the Phil Lord and Chris Miller space odyssey grossed $684 million worldwide, with Amazon MGM distributing domestically and Sony handling international, plus the IMAX take. Gosling is in contention for Best Actor for his portrayal of a scientist marooned alone on a spacecraft. Sandra Hüller and James Ortiz, who plays the sage extraterrestrial Rocky, are also part of the awards conversation.

Anne Lai, SFFILM's executive director, said in a statement that the Sloan Foundation inspires audiences to see how science and technology intertwine in our lives, including via the big screen.

"'Project Hail Mary' paints one of the most impossible and imaginative dilemmas in space," Lai said. "And what a rollercoaster we get to go on. This deeply entertaining and emotional film never skirts the scientific process, but instead fully embraces it at every turn. This is exactly what the Sloan Science in Cinema Initiative at SFFILM aims to do: celebrate movies that encourage audiences to appreciate and understand science."

Doron Weber, vice president and program director at the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, placed the film within a long institutional lineage. "We're delighted to award the Sloan Science in Cinema Prize to Phil Lord and Christopher Miller's 'Project Hail Mary,' an endearing and inventive adaptation of Andy Weir's best-selling novel," Weber said. "What at first glance may seem like fantasy/science fiction becomes a showcase for real scientific discovery, as the film's protagonists use physics, astronomy, and microbiology to solve existential problems facing a variety of species. 'Project Hail Mary' joins over 900 science and film projects supported by the Sloan Foundation, including previous SFFILM Sloan Science in Cinema Prize winners like 'Oppenheimer,' 'Twisters,' 'Don't Look Up,' 'Hidden Figures,' and 'The Martian.'"

The October 28 program will feature an onstage conversation with the film's principal creative team: Academy Award-winning directors and producers Phil Lord and Chris Miller, Academy Award-nominated screenwriter Drew Goddard, Academy Award-winning VFX supervisor Paul Lambert, co-VFX supervisor Mag Sarnowska, and Academy Award-nominated and winning sound designers/supervising sound editors Erik Aadahl and Ethan Van der Ryn (E Squared). They will be joined by Dr. Ron Radeztsky, an astrophysical scientist and plasma physicist who served as the film's astrometric systems modeling engineer.

Jessie Fairbanks, SFFILM's director of programming, praised the film's fusion of entertainment and scientific inquiry. "'Project Hail Mary' is a thrilling reminder that science and curiosity can be the heart of a great adventure," Fairbanks said. "Phil, Chris, and Drew have created a highly entertaining film that makes scientific discovery feel both joyful and accessible. Buoyed by Ryan Gosling's effortless charm and James Ortiz's extraordinary performance as Rocky, 'Project Hail Mary' proves that intelligent spectacle can be a delight and an inspiration."

The prize arrives as Amazon MGM Studios revs up its most potent Best Picture campaign to date, with fall screenings and tastemaker events planned for a March release that risks feeling distant against summer and festival-season contenders — a field that included "The Odyssey," TIFF winner "La Bola Negra," and Venice best actor honoree "Wild Horse Nine." The Sloan accolade gives the film an early October platform, complete with its filmmakers and scientific consultants onstage, as the Best Picture race takes shape.