Writers criticize ‘screeners’ ban

Hollywood screenwriters on Monday joined the chorus of complaints leveled at the Motion Picture Assn. of America for its recent ban on awards season DVDs and videocassettes or “screeners,” as they are called in the industry.

“Screeners have become an important part of the way small, well-written films find their audience,” said Victoria Riskin, president of the 7,500-member Writers Guild of America, West. She noted that Oscar winners such as Bill Condon (“Gods and Monsters”), Julian Fellowes (“Gosford Park”) and John Irving (“The Cider House Rules”) were first brought to the attention of Academy Award voters by just these means.

“To place a gag order on ‘screeners’ is to tilt the playing field from small films to large,” Riskin said. “As writers deeply concerned with preservation and nurturing of the independent voice, we urge the MPAA to reconsider and do the fair and right thing for all artists.”

Executives of the MPAA were not immediately available for comment but previously have defended the decision as a means of combating piracy.

-- Robert W. Welkos