Sintel

Not sci-fi, but I think it bears mentioning that the latest open movie project has finally been released to the public. The Blender Foundation, which supports the development of the 3d modelling and animation package, Blender, supports these movies and uses them as a way to introduce new features into the program. Previous movies include Elephant's Dream, which borders sci-fi and fantasy, and Big Buck Bunny. All three are worth a watch and I highly recommend that you watch it in HD, the visuals are pretty amazing. Also, maybe Elephant's dream might make an interesting paper topic.