Alex Rivera’s Sleep Dealer walked away from Sundance 08 a big winner, taking home two prizes, the Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award for outstanding achievement in writing, presented to Alex Rivera and David Riker for their screenplay, and the Alfred P. Sloan Prize. The Prize, which carries a $20,000 cash award to the filmmaker provided by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, is presented to an outstanding feature film focusing on science or technology as a theme, or depicting a scientist, engineer or mathematician as a major character.

Set in a near-future, militarized world marked by closed borders, virtual labor and a global digital network that joins minds and experiences, three strangers risk their lives to connect with each other and break the barriers of technology.

Read the WIRED review