The Athena Cinema among 41 independent cinemas selected for grant to bring science to the movies

Coolidge Corner Theatre and the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation named the 2025−26 recipients of their nationwide Science on Screen® grant program this week, awarding grants totaling $250,000 to 41 independent cinemas, museums and community groups with film programs. The Athena Cinema, part of Ohio University’s Chaddock + Morrow College of Fine Arts, was selected to receive $7,500 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.

Since partnering with Sloan in 2011, the Coolidge has awarded over $3 million in grants to 140 film and science-focused organizations in 45 states (plus Washington, DC) across the country. The Athena was proud to receive the Science on Screen grant for nine consecutive years (2013 – 2021). Following a three-year hiatus, the Athena Cinema team is thrilled to bring back the much-loved program. The Athena will announce this season’s Science on Screen schedule in early 2026.

Science on Screen features classic, cult and documentary films provocatively matched with presentations by experts who discuss scientific, technological or medical issues raised by each film. The Coolidge/Sloan Foundation nationwide Science on Screen partnership seeks to inspire in theatergoers an increased appreciation for science, technology, engineering and mathematics as compelling enterprises and vital elements of a broad understanding of human culture and current events.

Over the past 13 seasons, grantees have sold more than 188,000 tickets to over 1,610 Science on Screen events (including free tickets offered by many grantees to their Science on Screen series). The Athena’s Science on Screen events have featured presentations by scientists, doctors, professors, entrepreneurs, engineers and other luminaries.

Highlights from the Athena Cinema’s previous Science on Screen events include:

• In 2020, autism activist and animal science professor Temple Grandin discussed her life, her work, her struggles and strengths as a person with autism, and the film they inspired – “Temple Grandin.”
• In 2017, Dr. Kimberly Rios, an associate professor and director of Experimental Training in Ohio University’s Department of Psychology, led a discussion of the different forms of threat people can face and their psychological consequences before a screening of the film “The Shining.”
• In 2014, Dr. Gerri Botte, professor and Whitacre Endowed Chair in Sustainable Energy, presented on alternative energy sources before a screening of the film “Soylent Green.”

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“We are thrilled to continue our seminal partnership with the Coolidge Corner Theatre to support the nationwide Science on Screen program,” said Doron Weber, vice president and program director at the Sloan Foundation. "These events, which pair expert speakers in over 40 states with popular titles such as Sloan-winning films ‘Oppenheimer,’ ‘Twisters’ and ‘Hidden Figures,’ demonstrate that science can illuminate films just as films can illuminate science. We’re also proud that theaters can select recent Sloan-supported documentaries such as ‘John Lilly’ and the ‘Earth Coincidence Control Office, Sally, and The Cancer Detectives,’ and bring attention to urgent contemporary issues and inspirational scientific figures.”

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. The Athena was the sole theater in Ohio selected for the program this year.

Alex Kamody, director of the Athena Cinema, is very proud to have this valued program returning to Appalachian Ohio’s only rural arthouse cinema and to see the exchange of ideas spark once again across generations.

“We’re thrilled to announce the return of Science on Screen for the 2026 season,” Kamody said. “This beloved series uses film as a pathway to discovery, sparking curiosity and understanding of scientific ideas through the power of storytelling. Keep an eye out for the exciting lineup of films and speakers coming soon!”

All of these grant recipients 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. 

For more information about the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, visit sloan.org or follow the

Foundation on X, Instagram and Facebook at @SloanPublic.

For more about the Science on Screen program, visit scienceonscreen.org, or reserve your tickets at athenacinema.com.