Scenes from the winning screenplays will be read by a group of actors in a virtual event on Dec. 3
Five screenwriters have been given $35,000 prizes as winners of the 2020 Academy Nicholl Fellowships in Screenwriting, the Academy announced on Wednesday.
The five winners are James Acker for the screenplay “SadBoi,” Beth Curry for “Lemon,” Vanar Jaddou for “Goodbye, Iraq,” Kate Marks for “The Cow of Queens” and Jane Therese for “Sins of My Father.” They were chosen by the Academy Nicholl Fellowships Committee from the 7,831 scripts submitted to the Academy.
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Click Here Already a subscriber? LoginThe Nicholl Fellowships have been presented by the Academy since 1986 to aspiring screenwriters. Past winners include Nikole Beckwith (“Stockholm, Pennsylvania,” “Togetherish”), Alfred Botello (“Space Jam: A New Legacy”), Michael Werwie (“Lost Girls”) and Terri Miller and Andrew Marlowe (“The Equalizer”).
Also Read: Oscars Set New Inclusion and Diversity Standards for Best Picture Eligibility
In addition to the $35,000 cash prizes, which are intended to allow the recipients to complete a feature-length screenplay during their fellowship year, scenes from the winning scripts will be read by an ensemble of actors at a virtual event on Dec. 2.
Finalists who did not win were Kris A. Holmes for “The Seeds of Truth,” Fred Martenson for “Demons in America,” Robin Rose Singer for “The Lions of Mesopotamia,” David Harrison Turner for “Safe Haven” and Andrew Wankier for “Three Heavens.”
Short Films and Feature Animation Branch governor Jennifer Yuh Nelson serves as chair of the Academy Nicholl Fellowships Committee. Other members are John Bailey and Steven Poster from the Cinematographers Branch; William Mechanic from the Executives Branch; Julie Lynn, Peter Samuelson and Robert W. Shapiro from the Producers Branch; Bobbi Banks from the Sound Branch; Eric Heisserer, Larry Karaszewski, Dan Petrie Jr., Misan Sagay, Dana Stevens and Tyger Williams from the Writers Branch; and Members-at-Large James Plannette and Stephen Ujlaki.
Oscar's Longest Losing Streaks: 12 People With 10-Plus Nominations and No Wins (Photos)
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Photo: Stephen VaughanWith her 13th nomination this year, Diane Warren has a chance to snap her streak and finally win her first Oscar. She lost again in 2021, extending her record to 12 nominations and no wins. Here are some other unlucky Oscar nominees.
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Getty ImagesGreg P. Russell (16 nominations)
Veteran sound mixer Greg P. Russell earned his first nomination for 1989's "Black Rain." He almost earned a 17th nomination, for 2016's "13 Hours," but his nomination was rescinded after he "violated Academy campaign regulations that prohibit telephone lobbying."
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Paramount Pictures
Roland Anderson (15)
The longtime art director picked up his first nomination for "A Farewell to Arms" in 1934 -- and then lost for such classics as 1961's "Breakfast at Tiffany's" and 1963's "Come Blow Your Horn."
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Getty Images
Alex North (15)
Composer Alex North was recognized with an honorary Oscar in 1986 -- but he never won despite scoring such classics as "A Streetcar Named Desire," "Cleopatra" and "Spartacus."
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Getty Images
Thomas Newman (15)
The composer earned two nominations in 1995, for "Little Women" and "The Shawshank Redemption." He earned his 15th nod in 2020 for Sam Mendes' "1917," but once again did not take home the award.
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TCM
Loren L. Ryder (14)
Veteran sound engineer Loren L. Ryder picked up nominations for his sound work on classics like "Double Indemnity," "The War of the Worlds" and "Rear Window" -- but never won a competitive Oscar. However, he did win eight non-competitive honors from the Academy, including honorary prizes and technical achievement awards.
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MGM
George J. Folsey (13)
The cinematographer earned an unlucky 13 nominations for such movies as 1944's "Meet Me in St. Louis" and 1954's "Seven Brides for Seven Brothers" -- but came up short each time.
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Photo: Rochelle Bodin
Diane Warren (13)
The songwriter earned her 13th nomination in 2022 for "Somehow You Do" from "Four Good Days" -- one year after getting a nom for "Io Si" from "The Live Ahead." But so far, she has yet to take home the prize.
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Photo: public domain
Federico Fellini (12)
The beloved Italian director received an honorary Oscar in 1993 but was passed over a dozen times for both his direction and screenplays.
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Paramount Pictures
Rick Kline (11)
The veteran sound mixer earned 11 nominations for such hits as "Terms of Endearment," "Top Gun" and "Air Force One."
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Getty Images
Anna Behlmer (10)
Behlmer is a 10-time nominee for sound mixing such films as "Braveheart," "L.A. Confidential" and 2009's "Star Trek."
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photo courtesy of Alan Light
Walter Lantz (10)
The veteran animator was best known for Woody Woodpecker but he was forever the bridesmaid at the Oscars -- until collecting an honorary award in 1979.
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Paramount Pictures
Walter Scharf (10)
The composer earned 10 nominations over the years for films like "Funny Girl" and "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory" but never took home an Oscar.
Diane Warren, Thomas Newman and other veterans who’ve become the Susan Luccis of the Academy Awards
With her 13th nomination this year, Diane Warren has a chance to snap her streak and finally win her first Oscar. She lost again in 2021, extending her record to 12 nominations and no wins. Here are some other unlucky Oscar nominees.
Steve Pond
Steve Pond has been writing about film, music, pop culture and the entertainment industry for more than 40 years. He has served as TheWrap’s awards editor and executive editor, awards since joining the company in 2009. Steve began his career writing about music for the Los Angeles Times, where he remained a contributor for more than 15 years, and Rolling Stone, where he was West Coast Music Editor and wrote 16 cover stories. He moved into film coverage with a weekly column in the Washington Post and became a contributing writer at Premiere magazine, where he became the first journalist to have all access to the Academy Awards show and rehearsals. He has also written for the New York Times, Movieline, the DGA Quarterly, GQ, Playboy, the Christian Science Monitor, USA Today, New York, the Christian Science Monitor, Live! magazine and many others. He is the author of the Los Angeles Times bestseller “The Big Show: High Times and Dirty Dealings Backstage at the Academy Awards” (Faber and Faber, 2005). He has also written “Elvis in Hollywood” (New American Library, 1990) and contributed to books that include “Cash,” “The Rolling Stone Reader,” U2: The Rolling Stone Files,” “Bruce Springsteen: The Rolling Stone Files” and “The Rolling Stone Interviews: The 1980s.” He was the co-managing editor of the syndicated TV news program “The Industry News” and the creative consultant for the A&E series “The Inside Track With Graham Nash.” He has won L.A. Press Club awards for stories in TheWrap, the Los Angeles Times and Playboy, and was nominated for a National Magazine Award for a story in Premiere.