The Athena Film Festival (AFF) has announced that screenwriter Denise Meyers is the inaugural recipient of the Alfred P. Sloan Athena List Development Grant. The $20,000 honor is given to celebrate “stories dedicated to showcasing the diversity and resilience of women in STEM,” a press release confirmed.
Meyers is being recognized for “Lucky 13,” a 2016 Athena List finalist. It “tells the incredible true story of the only all-female airbase in American history, powered by unforgettable women who came from all walks of life to play a significant role in the war effort, sacrificing everything to save the B-26 Marauder aircraft from the scrap heap before being unceremoniously disbanded to make room for male civilian pilots hoping to avoid the draft.” The Sloan Grant will help Meyer advance her screenplay to the next phase of development.
AFF will host a reception for Meyers and a live script-reading on October 29 at Barnard College in New York City.
“We could not be more honored that the first time the Festival has awarded funds is with this grant to Denise,” said Melissa Silverstein, AFF co-founder/artistic director and Women and Hollywood founder/publisher. “We are excited by our partnership with the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation and are so proud to support the filmmakers who are developing stories that feature women in STEM.”
Meyers added, “I am beyond grateful to the Sloan Foundation and the Athena Film Festival for recognizing and advocating for a story about some of the most remarkable — and overlooked — women I have ever known. The significance of the Sloan development grant in partnership with the Athena Film Festival is about so much more than ‘Lucky 13.’ It’s about the Women’s Airforce Service Pilots and a story that not only deserves to be told but is long overdue.”
Meyers’ script “Ride the Wind: The Bessie Stringfield Story” is also an Athena List finalist. She previously wrote “The Dark of Night,” which screened at Cannes 2017. Robin Wright directed the noir short.
The Alfred P. Sloan Athena List Development Grant finalists were “Hedy” by Giovanni Porta, “The Sky’s the Limit: The Story of the Mercury 13” by The Burton Sisters, and “A Noble Affair” by Anil Baral and Kathryn Maughan.
AFF’s 10th edition will take place February 27-March 1, 2020, on Barnard’s campus.
