Guillermo del Toro to Receive the Sloan Science in Cinema Prize from SFFILM for ‘Frankenstein’
Today, in partnership with the Alfred P . Sloan Foundation, SFFILM announced it will present the prestigious Sloan Science in Cinema Prize to Academy Award-winning filmmaker Guillermo del Toro’s latest film, Frankenstein. The award celebrates the compelling depiction of scientific themes or characters in a narrative feature film and is accompanied by a $20,000 cash prize. In this latest adaptation, del Toro reimagines Mary Shelley’s classic tale of a brilliant scientist and the creature his monstrous ambition brings to life.
From Netflix, the film stars Oscar Isaac, Jacob Elordi, Mia Goth, and Christoph Waltz. The special screening and event will take place at the AMC Kabuki 8 on Wednesday, November 12 at 7:30 pm.
The Sloan Science in Cinema Prize program will feature an onstage conversation with screenwriter and director Guillermo del Toro, the film’s sound designer Nathan Robitaille, VFX supervisor Dennis Berardi, and head of concept design Guy Davis alongside Dr . Jennifer Doudna, Nobel Laureate and co-inventor of CRISPR gene editing technology, a profoundly powerful tool to edit DNA and reshape the human condition and our world. Jessie Fairbanks, SFFILM’s Director of Programming said, “The story of Frankenstein has endured for over two centuries because science and humanity are so deeply interconnected, encouraging us to ponder the ethics of scientific advancements. Del Toro’s empathy for outsiders and perceived monsters is on full display in this film, as are his curiosity and visual flair, bringing Shelley’s work to life like never before. Our audience will be in for a real treat as we discuss this exhilarating film with the cast, crew, and Dr . Doudna.”
“We’re delighted to award the Sloan Science in Cinema Prize to Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein, a brilliant and original reimagining of Mary Shelley’s classic novel,” said Doron Weber, Vice President and Program Director at the Alfred P . Sloan Foundation. “del Toro uses his exceptional filmmaking talents to both dramatize and humanize the cautionary tale of a scientist and his experimental creation of life through unorthodox methods, exploring the consequences of scientific hubris. The prescient 200-year-old story touches on contemporary scientific fields such as genetic and tissue engineering and transplantation as well as emerging technologies such as biotechnology, nanotechnology, synthetic biology, and artificial intelligence. Frankenstein joins over 900 science and film projects supported by the Sloan Foundation, including SFFILM’s honors of outstanding films like Oppenheimer, Twisters, Don’t Look Up, and Hidden Figures.”
Anne Lai, the Executive Director of SFFILM said, “Films can have a profound effect on a viewer , opening a door to a possibility of your future that you didn’t know was there. With the Sloan Foundation’s support, we hope to encourage and empower artists to create films that might have that kind of impact of understanding and possibility in science. Guillermo del Toro’s body of work, especially Frankenstein, epitomizes that kind of inspiration.”
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 program also supports special initiatives that strengthen science as a social good. The Foundation works with about 20 film school and film festival partners and has supported over 900 film projects, including over 30 feature films.
The Sloan Science in Cinema Prize celebrates the compelling depiction of scientific themes or characters in a narrative feature film. Presented through a partnership between SFFILM and the Alfred P . Sloan Foundation, this annual honor carries a cash prize and celebrates cinema that unites the expertise of science and technology with the art of storytelling. T o inspire deeper understanding and spark curiosity in the audience, the celebration includes a conversation featuring the film’s creators and members of the scientific community to discuss the inclusion of science in storytelling. Past recipients of the Prize include RidleyScott’s The Martian (2015);Theodore Melfi’s Hidden Figures (2016); Damien Chazelle’s First Man (2018); Tom Harper’s The Aeronauts (2019); Francis Lee’s Ammonite (2020); Adam McKay’s Don’t Look Up (2021); Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer (2023); and Lee Isaac Chung’s Twisters (2025).
He is a Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic, accredited by the Cannes Film Festival, Telluride Film Festival, Toronto International Film Festival and more, is a member of the International Cinephile Society (ICS), The Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics (GALECA), Critics Choice Association (CCA), San Francisco Bay Area Film Critics Circle (SFBAFCC) and the International Press Academy. Among his many achieved goals with AwardsWatch, he has given a platform to underrepresented writers and critics and supplied them with access to film festivals and the industry and calls the Bay Area his home where he lives with his husband and son.
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