Writers Guild thinks small
Independent films dominated the 56th annual Writers Guild of America awards nominations announced Thursday, with only two going to movies made by major studios, although the other nominations all went to films distributed by specialized divisions of major studio parents.
Among nominations for best original screenplay and adapted screenplay, Miramax (owned by Disney) received three and Fox Searchlight (whose parent is Fox Filmed Entertainment) picked up two. Warner Bros. and Universal Pictures were the only majors to receive nominations, one apiece.
Although previous WGA nominees were included in the mix, including Anthony Minghella (“Cold Mountain”), Gary Ross (“Seabiscuit”) and Jim Sheridan (“In America”), most of the writers were celebrating their first recognition by the guild. The WGA also leaned toward intimate, character-driven scripts.
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Nominees for original screenplay of 2003 are:
“Bend It Like Beckham” -- written by Gurinder Chadha and Paul Mayeda Berges and Guljit Bindra, Fox Searchlight Pictures;
“Dirty Pretty Things” -- written by Steven Knight, Miramax Films;
“In America” -- written by Jim Sheridan, Naomi Sheridan and Kirsten Sheridan, Fox Searchlight Pictures;
“Lost in Translation” -- written by Sofia Coppola, Focus Features (subsidiary of Universal Pictures);
“The Station Agent” -- written by Tom McCarthy, Miramax Films.
The nomination caught Chadha by surprise. “It is the first time we have ever got nominated for our writing,” said Chadha, who also directed the surprise hit about an English-born teenage girl of Indian descent who becomes a successful soccer player. “It’s great to have our peers nominate us. That is the most fantastic thing, especially in this town. It’s a tough town with tough writers.”
She says the film’s international appeal is due to the fact that it’s so “truthful.” “It is dedicated to my dad, who died in 1999. It is a real tribute to him that he allowed me to bend things” to become a filmmaker.
“Dirty Pretty Things,” a dark look at the immigrant community in London, is Knight’s first screenplay. “The whole thing has come as a surprise -- the positive reaction of American critics and the Writers Guild,” said Knight, calling from a London taxi just after getting news of his nomination. Knight had begun “Dirty Pretty Things” as a novel, but after he realized the first chapter was so dialogue heavy, he decided to turn it into a screenplay.
Coppola is another first-time nominee, for her offbeat comedy about two lost souls who connect when they meet in a Tokyo hotel. She is also nominated for a Directors Guild of America Award for “Lost in Translation.” Her father, Francis Ford Coppola, won both the DGA and WGA awards for the first two “Godfather” films.
“Not long ago, I was sitting at my dining table trying to finish my script,” she said. “I have such respect for writers. It is such a hard thing. The whole idea of writing an original script was really daunting for me, but it was one of those challenges I always wanted to try.”
Sheridan shares his nomination for the semi-autobiographical drama “In America” with his two grown daughters. “What would you ask better than to be up there with your daughters,” said Sheridan, who previously was nominated for the WGA award for “My Left Foot” and “In the Name of the Father.”
“It’s a great and a very humbling experience to work with your kids. I wrote a draft and then I asked them to write a draft and they eliminated my character.”
McCarthy, an actor who has appeared in such TV movies as “Mary and Tim,” said it was a “wonderful honor” to receive the nomination for the quirky comedy “The Station Agent.” Not only was it his first screenplay, but McCarthy also made his feature directorial debut with the film. “The last year and half on this film has been an amazing ride,” he said.
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Nominees for best adapted screenplay are:
“American Splendor” -- written by Robert Pulcini and Shari Springer Berman, based on the comic book series by Harvey Pekar and the novel by Harvey Pekar and Joyce Brabner, HBO Films/Fine Line Features (subsidiaries of Time Warner companies HBO and New Line Cinema);
“Cold Mountain” -- screenplay by Anthony Minghella, based on the novel by Charles Frazier, Miramax Films;
“The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King” -- screenplay by Fran Walsh & Philippa Boyens & Peter Jackson, based on the novel by J.R.R. Tolkien, New Line Cinema;
“Mystic River” -- screenplay by Brian Helgeland, based on the novel by Dennis Lehane, Warner Bros. Pictures;
“Seabiscuit” -- screenplay by Gary Ross, based on the book by Laura Hillenbrand, Universal Pictures.
“It’s always wonderful when you get a nomination from the WGA,” Boyens said Thursday morning. She, Walsh and Jackson received a WGA nomination two years ago for “The Fellowship of the Ring,” the first installment in the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy.
She admits adapting Tokien’s beloved story was daunting. “I loved every second of it, but we struggled with the book every day. It was insanity, but it’s such a beautiful story, and we were in love with that world.”
Ross, like Coppola, is also nominated for a DGA Award, for his historical epic about the underdog race horse who became a hero during the Depression. He learned Thursday morning not only of the WGA nomination but that he and Helgeland both won the USC Scripter Award for their screenplays.
“I am really gratified that all of these guilds have recognized what you have done.” said Ross. “The wrong way to look [at awards] is as a competition. The right way is that you are included in a community and you are celebrating what you do.”
The WGA award is not quite the Oscar harbinger the DGA Award has become. In fact, Ronald Harwood, who won the Oscar last year for his adapted screenplay of “The Pianist,” didn’t even receive a WGA nomination. Last year’s WGA winners were Michael Moore for original screenplay for his documentary “Bowling for Columbine” and David Hare for adapted screenplay for “The Hours.” The Oscar for original screenplay went to Pedro Almodovar for “Talk to Her.”
The Writers Guild Awards will be announced Feb. 21 at the Century Plaza Hotel.
