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Director of The Fountain Establishes Scholarship to Support Future Environmental Leaders

April 2007

Salem, Massachusetts –  Darren Aronofsky, noted film director of The Fountain and Requiem for a Dream, has endowed a scholarship at The School for Field Studies (SFS) to support students studying environmental issues in Australia, Costa Rica, Kenya, Mexico, and the Turks and Caicos Islands. Mr. Aronofsky is an alumnus of SFS programs in Kenya in 1985 and in Alaska in 1986. The School for Field Studies is honored to acknowledge Darren's support for current and future generations of SFS students who share his commitment to the environment.

“As a teenager I had the opportunity to study thermoregulation in hauled out harbor seals in Prince William Sound and water strategies in ungulates on a ranch in southern Kenya. Can you imagine how that affected the mind of a kid from Brooklyn who grew up in pizza parlors and on handball courts?” laughs Aronofsky. “The School for Field Studies changed the way I perceived the world. It formed a life long connection for me with environmental issues.”

The scholarship is named for Mr. Aronofsky's most recent film, The Fountain, which follows a man's struggle to save the woman he loves. The Fountain Scholarship is designed for students who, like Mr. Aronofsky, grew up in an urban area. They also need to have demonstrated a commitment to environmental issues and have limited financial resources. Other types of financial aid at SFS include loans, grants, and other named scholarships.

SFS Financial Aid

About Darren Aronofsky

Mr. Aronofsky made his directorial debut with the acclaimed independent feature Π, which he also wrote. The film brought him several honors, including the Director's Award at the 1998 Sundance Film Festival and an Independent Spirit Award for Best First Screenplay. His second film, Requiem for a Dream, premiered at the Cannes Film Festival and went on to earn five Independent Spirit Award nominations. The Fountain, his most recent effort, premiered at the Venice Film Festival in 2006. His company Protozoa Pictures presently has a first look deal with Universal Pictures. Born in Brooklyn, Darren graduated from Edward R. Murrow High School and went on to study live action and animation at Harvard University. He received his M.F.A. in Directing from the American Film Institute in 1994.

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