2023 Oxford Film Fest Receives Prestigious ‘Science on Screen’ Grant

As OxFilm prepares for the 20th edition of the Oxford Film Festival taking place in March, OxFilm has announced that the film festival will be a recipient of the Science on Screen grant for the first time.

The grant is from the Coolidge Corner Theatre and the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation and OxFilm is joining 40 other independent cinemas, museums, community groups and film programs across the country that will also be part of the prestigious program.

The grant will benefit both next year’s edition of the film festival as well as OxFilm’s year-round programs.

The 2023 Oxford Film Festival will be held March 1-6.

“As we gear up for our big 20th Anniversary edition of the Oxford Film Festival, this is a big win for the organization, both in terms of the funds which will support next year’s presentation, screenings, panels, and events, but also because it underlines the notice we are receiving nationally for the work we have done and the success we have seen leading up to now,” said Oxford Film Festival Executive Director Matt Wymer.

“The Oxford Film Festival has a long track record for being cited by important cultural organizations and groups and receiving grants vital to continuing operations from those groups nationally and statewide. And now we are adding science to that roster and we couldn’t be happier.”

Grants totaling $245,000 will be given to the group of recipients, with each organization receiving up to $8,500 to create and present three or more Science on Screen events, which pair expert-led discussions of scientific topics with screenings of feature and documentary films. At least one of the films shown by grantees must be a past recipient of the annual Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Feature Film Prize or a Sloan Development Grant.

Science on Screen was initially conceived and established in 2005 for Coolidge Corner Theatre audiences in greater Boston. In 2011, the Sloan Foundation partnered with the theatre to take Science on Screen nationwide and to make it an integral part of its coast-to-coast film program.

Science on Screen grant recipients are chosen based on the need for science-related programming in their community, the strength of their proposed Science on Screen programs, the success of past Science on Screen programs (for returning grantees), and their location. 

All of the grant recipients—which span 42 states from coast to coast—play a significant role in the cultural life of their communities, with successful track records of building strong community partnerships and producing creative, thought-provoking film programs that both educate and entertain audiences.

The Oxford Film Festival was founded in 2003 to bring exciting, new, and unusual films (and the people who create them) to North Mississippi. The annual five-day festival screens short and feature-length films in both showcase and competition settings. The festival is a 501c3 not-for-profit organization.

For more information about OxFilm and the Film Festival, visit www.oxfordfilmfest.com. 

Staff report