“Love Me,” from filmmaker duo Sam and Andy Zuchero, received the juried feature film prize from Sundance Institute and Alfred P. Sloan Foundation’s joint Science-in-Film initiative at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival.
The prize is awarded to a film that focuses on science or technology as a theme or depicts a scientist, engineer or mathematician as a major character. Dr. Mandë Holford, Dr. Nia Imara, Matt Johnson, Theresa Park and Courtney Stephens comprised the 2024 jury for the Alfred P. Sloan feature film prize.
According to the jury, “Love Me” was selected “for its ambitious and formally inventive portrayal of a post-human Earth in which two machine-learning ‘life forms’ search for the cure to loneliness in the digital rubble of civilization, and for its original direction and engaging performances.”
Additionally, Emily Everhard received the Sloan episodic fellowship for “Tektite,” Sara Crow and David Rafailedes received the Sloan development fellowship for “Satoshi” and Lizzi Oyebode received the Sloan commissioning grant for “Inverses.”
The Zucheros and Oyebode received $25,000 cash prizes, while Everhard and Crow and Rafailedes received $17,000 cash awards. The filmmakers were celebrated at a reception hosted by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation in Park City.
American Film Institute Announces AFI DWW+ Class of 2025, Names Hanelle M. Culpepper Guest Artistic Director
The American Film Institute has announced the participants chosen for the 2025 class for AFI DWW+, a year-long directing program that supports women and underrepresented narrative filmmakers through the production cycle of a short film. This year marks the 50th anniversary of the directing program.
The class of 2025 is comprised of Julia Bales, Jahmil Eady, MG Evangelista, Marissa High, Jasmine J. Johnson, Natasha Mynhier, Karina Lomelin Ripper and Ezra Rose. The participants will receive hands-on instruction from industry experts, with their short films premiering at the annual DWW+ Showcase in spring 2025.
Additionally, AFI DWW alum Hanelle M. Culpepper was named AFI DWW+ guest artistic director for the class of 2025. She directed the pilot of “Star Trek: Picard,” making her the first woman director to launch a new “Star Trek” series in the franchise’s history. Her other credits include “True Story,” “The Last Days of Ptolemy Gray,” “Star Wars: The Acolyte,” “Westworld” and the pilot of “Anansi Boys.” In 2019, she was selected for the inaugural class of ReFrame and was honored in Variety’s Inclusion Impact Report. She serves on the TV Academy’s directors peer group executive committee and as an alternate for the DGA’s national board of directors.
“I remember how supported I felt by our community when I participated in DWW – my fellow directors are dear friends to this day, and it was inspiring to learn from the alums out there blazing the trail. I’m excited for what’s ahead for this class, and I’m honored to guide them as they make their shorts and ultimately rise in our industry,” said Culpepper in a statement.
‘The Flash’ and ‘IT’ Orchestrator to Launch New Music Company
David J. Krystal, the orchestrator behind “The Flash,” “IT,” “Shazam!” and “Hidden Figures,” among others, is launching a new eponymous orchestration company titled David Krystal Music Service.
According to the statement, the company aims to “synthesize the rich tradition of classic Hollywood scoring and orchestration with the fast-paced and powerful blockbuster film scores of today. With meticulous attention to detail, DKMS ensures that every note and nuance is accounted for so its clients can experience the highest level, most accurate orchestrations in the industry.”
Krystal has collaborated with an assortment of Hollywood’s top musicians, including a stint with Emmy-nominated composer Benjamin Wallfisch, two-time Oscar-winner Hans Zimmer and Grammy-winning artist Pharrell Williams, working as the supervising orchestrator of the Oscar-nominated film “Hidden Figures.” The score was nominated for a Grammy and a Golden Globe.
“I’m really excited about the company launch and being able to offer the rich, accurate, and detailed orchestrations I’ve become known for under the DKMS banner,” Krystal said in a statement. “As the industry evolves along with new techniques for writing and score production, I hope DKMS will stand out at the top as a company that can deliver both the finest cutting-edge and modern blockbuster productions and the lush traditional sounds of classic Hollywood scoring.”
Alongside the launch of DKMS, Krystal will release an album titled “Tunes in the Key of Hollywood,” a “love letter to the sweeping Hollywood film scores I grew up listening to,” Krystal said.