Athena Movie Fest Publicizes 2022 Recipient of the Alfred P. Sloan Athena Checklist Improvement Grant

The Athena Movie Pageant at Barnard School (AFF) has introduced Jennifer Vanderbes because the third winner of the annual Alfred P. Sloan Athena Checklist Improvement Grant for her Athena Checklist-winning script “The Gatekeeper.”

“The Gatekeeper” is a historic drama primarily based on the story of Frances Kelsey, an FDA medical reviewer who fought a serious pharmaceutical agency to maintain the drug thalidomide off the American market within the early Sixties. The script relies on “Surprise Drug,” Vanderbes’ personal non-fiction guide, which was additionally supported by the Sloan Basis. The guide can be printed by Random Home in June 2023.

Vanderbes will obtain $20,000 to assist advance her script to the following stage of growth. The fest will host a reception and dwell script-reading December 7 at Barnard School in New York Metropolis.

“Assist from the Athena Movie Pageant’s Sloan Basis Improvement Grant will assist carry to the display screen this vital STEM story concerning the largest drug scandal of the twentieth century,” stated Vanderbes. “Frances Kelsey was a unicorn of her day – a lady who held each a Ph.D. in Pharmacology and an M.D. She spent years battling authorities paperwork and company pursuits to maintain thalidomide off the American market, and her scientific brilliance, ethical integrity, and private pluck make her a superb heroine, ripe for the display screen, because the centerpiece of an epic battle towards Massive Pharma.”

Finalists for the 2022 Alfred P. Sloan Athena Checklist Improvement grant included “Ray of Life” by Kate Sheffield and “Tidal Disruption” by Kiran Deol.

AFF’s partnership with the Alfred P. Sloan Basis goals to bolster the pipeline of ladies filmmakers working to focus on the significance of ladies within the sciences.

Doron Weber, Vice President and Program Director on the Alfred P. Sloan Basis, commented, “We’re thrilled to accomplice with the Athena Movie Pageant to announce the third annual winner of the Alfred P. Sloan Improvement grant, a part of our nationwide program to assist movies depicting scientific themes or characters and to focus on the contributions of ladies and underrepresented teams. We’re proud to assist Jennifer Vanderbes and her script ‘The Gatekeeper,’ primarily based on a guide beforehand supported by our E-book Program that tells the story of one other pioneering ‘hidden determine’ in STEM and the obstacles and prejudice she needed to overcome to safeguard human well being.”

Melissa Silverstein, Creative Director and Co-Founding father of the AFF — and Ladies and Hollywood’s Founder and Writer — added, “Our ongoing relationship with the Sloan Basis has introduced so many wealthy, vital and principally unknown STEM tales of ladies leaders to life. These ladies have had a major impression in our world. The story of Frances Kelsey is a type of tales, and we’re so thrilled to be part of getting this story the eye it deserves.”

The thirteenth annual Athena Movie Pageant will happen March 2-5, 2023 on Barnard’s campus in New York Metropolis.