2016 WGC Screenwriting Awards finalists announced

The Writers Guild of Canada celebrates 25 years of working for Canadian screenwriters, showcasing their talents at the 20th annual WGC Screenwriting Awards. The gala event takes place on May 2, 2016 at Toronto’s beautiful Koerner Hall.

This year close to 150 scripts were nominated, with 24 scripts chosen as finalists, and 32 screenwriters up for awards. Special awards, including the WGC Showrunner Award, the Alex Barris Mentorship Award, and the Sondra Kelly Award will also be presented.

2016 Writers Guild Awards Screenplay Nominations Announced

The Writers Guild of America, West (WGAW) and the Writers Guild of America, East (WGAE) have announced nominations for outstanding achievement in screenwriting during 2015. Winners will be honored at the 2016 Writers Guild Awards on Saturday, February 13, 2016, at concurrent ceremonies in Los Angeles and New York City.

Feature films eligible for a Writers Guild Award were exhibited theatrically for at least one week in Los Angeles during 2015 and were written under the WGA’s Minimum Basic Agreement (MBA) or under a bona fide collective bargaining agreement of the Writers Guild of Canada, Writers Guild of Great Britain, Irish Playwrights & Screenwriters Guild, or the New Zealand Writers Guild. Theatrical screenplays produced under the jurisdiction of the WGA or an affiliate Guild must have been submitted for Writers Guild Awards consideration.

Documentaries eligible for a Writers Guild Award featured an onscreen writing credit and were exhibited theatrically in Los Angeles or New York for one week during 2015. Theatrical documentaries must have been produced under the jurisdiction of the WGA or an affiliate Guild to be eligible for awards consideration.

112 Original Scores in 2015 Oscar Race

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences today announced that 112 scores from eligible feature-length motion pictures released in 2015 are in contention for nominations in the Original Score category for the 88th Academy Awards®.

A Reminder List of works submitted in the Original Score category will be made available with a nominations ballot to all members of the Music Branch, who shall vote in the order of their preference for not more than five achievements. The five achievements receiving the highest number of votes will become the nominations for final voting for the award.

2015 Black List scripts announced [UPDATED]

The Black List was compiled from the suggestions of over 250 film executives, each of whom contributed the names of up to ten of his or her favorite scripts that were written in, or are somehow uniquely associated with, 2015 and will not have begun principal photography during this calendar year.

This year, scripts had to receive at least six mentions to be included on the Black List. All reasonable effort has been made to confirm the information contained herein. The Black List apologizes for all misspellings, misattributions, incorrect representation identification, and questionable 2015 affiliations.

74 Original Songs vie for 2015 Oscar

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences today announced that 74 songs from eligible feature-length motion pictures released in 2015 are in contention for nominations in the Original Song category for the 88th Academy Awards.

During the nominations process, all voting members of the Music Branch will receive a Reminder List of works submitted in the category and a DVD copy of the song clips. Members will be asked to watch the clips and then vote in the order of their preference for not more than five achievements in the category. The five achievements receiving the highest number of votes will become the nominations for final voting for the award. A maximum of two songs may be nominated from any one film.

To be eligible, a song must consist of words and music, both of which are original and written specifically for the film. A clearly audible, intelligible, substantive rendition of both lyric and melody must be used in the body of the film or as the first music cue in the end credits.

Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television announces Special Award Winners

The Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television is pleased to announce six Academy Special Award winners for the 2016 CANADIAN SCREEN AWARDS: Ivan Fecan, This Hour Has 22 Minutes, Ana Serrano, Mark Starowicz, Karen Walton and the Performing Arts Lodges (PAL Canada).

"Each of these outstanding Academy Special Award winners has made innovative and stellar contributions to our Canadian screen-based industries," says Academy Chair Martin Katz. "We are extremely proud to celebrate them and their ongoing achievements at the 2016 Canadian Screen Awards."

These Academy Special Awards - as well as additional ones to be announced in the coming weeks - will be presented during 2016 Canadian Screen Week (March 7 - March 13, 2016).

36th Annual Dora Mavor Moore Awards – winners

Canadian Opera Company Leads the Field with 8 Wins: 5 for Falstaff including Outstanding Production and 3 for Die Walküre including Outstanding Direction to Atom Egoyan

The 36th Annual Dora Mavor Moore Awards for the 2014/2015 season were handed out in a star-studded ceremony in Toronto on the evening of Monday, June 22 at Harbourfront Centre’s WestJet Stage, hosted by the hilarious Gavin Crawford, whose eight seasons on CBC-TV's This Hour Has 22 Minutes earned him numerous accolades and who recently won an ACTRA Award for his leading role in the film Two 4 One.

The Dora Mavor Moore Awards are produced and presented by the Toronto Alliance for the Performing Arts (TAPA) and celebrate excellence in Toronto theatre, dance and opera. For the 2014-2015 season, 117 producing companies registered 212 eligible productions. A total of 48 Dora Awards plus the Silver Ticket Award and the Audience Choice Award were given out.

2015 WGC Screenwriting Awards - winners

The WGC Screenwriting Awards, hosted by Ryan Belleville, took place Monday night at Koerner Hall in Toronto. It was an evening of celebrating the work of WGC members (and a great party).

In the Movies & Miniseries category, the winner was Nicolas Billon for his script for the film Elephant Song which was directed by Charles Binamé and stars Bruce Greenwood, Colm Feore, Xavier Dolan, Catherine Keener, Carrie-Anne Moss and Guy Nadon.

CFC Presents an Evening with Academy Award-Winning Writer/Director John Patrick Shanley

[UPDATE BELOW]

Writer/Director John Patrick Shanley on Adaptation and his Creative Process

On the heels of the world premiere announcement of A Woman is a Secret, the new play written by John Patrick Shanley, the Canadian Film Centre (CFC), is pleased to present An Evening with Academy Award-Winning Writer/Director John Patrick Shanley on Adaptation and his Creative Process.

Taking place on Monday, March 23, 2015 at TIFF Bell Lightbox in Toronto, Shanley will take the stage to discuss writing for the screen versus writing for the stage, the challenges associated with adapting work for the screen as both a writer and a director, as well as his experience with casting, working with other directors and producers, and future adaptations of his plays.

Writers Guild of Canada (WGC) announces 19th annual WGC Screenwriting Awards finalists

The Writers Guild of Canada is pleased to announce the finalists for the 19th annual WGC Screenwriting Awards. The WGC Screenwriting Awards celebrate the excellence of Canada’s screenwriters with a gala event on April 27, 2015, at Toronto’s Koerner Hall.

This year more than 150 scripts were nominated for awards in seven categories, with 29 scripts chosen as finalists. In total, 53 screenwriters are up for awards. Several special awards, including the WGC Showrunner Award, the Jim Burt Screenwriting Prize, and the Sondra Kelly Award, will also be presented.

2015 Writers Guild Awards – winners

The Writers Guild of America, West (WGAW) and the Writers Guild of America, East (WGAE) tonight announced the winners of the 2015 Writers Guild Awards for outstanding achievement in writing for film, television, new media, videogames, news, radio, promotional, and graphic animation categories at simultaneous ceremonies at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza in Los Angeles and the Edison Ballroom in New York City.

Emmy-winning Friends actress and The Comeback star/Co-Creator Lisa Kudrow hosted the West Coast WGA ceremony, which was executive produced by Hugh Fink. Presenters who appeared at the WGAW's L.A. awards ceremony included: Golden Globe-winning actor Steve Carell (The Office), an Oscar nominee this year for Best Actor in Foxcatcher, Golden Globe-winning and Oscar-nominated actress Patricia Arquette (Boyhood), Parks and Recreation co-star Adam Scott, Suburgatory co-star Cheryl Hines, actor Sir Patrick Stewart (X-Men: Days of Future Past), actor James Corden (Into the Woods), set to host CBS' The Late, Late Show in March, Brooklyn Nine-Nine co-stars Chelsea Peretti and Terry Crews, Playing House co-stars Jessica St. Clair and Lennon Parham, actress Abigail Spencer (Rectify), actor Zachary Levi (Chuck), About a Boy co-star Benjamin Stockham, and comedian Bob Saget (Full House).

27th USC Libraries Scripter Award goes to The Imitation Game

Screenwriter Graham Moore and author Andrew Hodges received the 27th-annual USC Libraries Scripter Award for The Imitation Game. Selection committee chair Howard Rodman announced the winners at the black-tie event on Saturday, Jan. 31, at USC’s historic Doheny Memorial Library.

Moore based his adaptation on “Alan Turing: The Enigma,” a 1983 biography by Hodges of the brilliant British World War II code-breaker and computer pioneer who was later persecuted for his homosexuality. Rodman accepted the award on behalf of Hodges, who teaches mathematics at Oxford University’s Wadham College.

“Alan Turing never got to stand on a stage and hear people applaud his name,” Moore said in his acceptance speech. “And I do right now, and that is a profound injustice. All that I can do is spend the rest of my life endeavoring to repair it.”

Intimacies | An Evening with Ingrid Veninger

Join us for a once in a lifetime experience where we will be screening The Animal Project with an introduction by director Ingrid Veninger followed by a meet and greet and Q&A with the director and cast.

"After an unusual and inspiring dream, an unorthodox theatre director (Aaron Poole) attempts to push a group of eager young performers out of their comfort zones, while struggling with his own ability to live and authentic and fulfilling life with his teenage son."

The 27th Annual USC Libraries Scripter Award – finalists announced

Scripter honors the screenwriter or screenwriters of the year’s most accomplished cinematic adaptation as well as the author or authors of the written work upon which the screenplay is based.

The Friends of the USC Libraries established Scripter in 1988. Previous Scripter winners include the screenwriters and authors of 12 Years a Slave, The Social Network, A Beautiful Mind and The English Patient.

Chaired by Howard Rodman, USC professor and vice president of the Writers Guild of America, West, the 2015 Scripter selection committee selected the five finalists from a field of 97 eligible adaptations.

Serving on the selection committee, among many others, are film critics Leonard Maltin, Anne Thompson and Kenneth Turan; authors Michael Chabon, Michael Ondaatje and Mona Simpson; screenwriters John Ridley, Erin Cressida Wilson and Steve Zaillian; and USC deans Elizabeth Daley of the School of Cinematic Arts, Madeline Puzo of the School of Dramatic Arts and Catherine Quinlan of the USC Libraries.

2015 Writers Guild Awards Screenplay Nominations Announced

The Writers Guild of America, West (WGAW) and the Writers Guild of America, East (WGAE) have announced nominations for outstanding achievement in writing for the screen during 2014. Winners will be honored at the 2015 Writers Guild Awards on Saturday, February 14, 2015, at simultaneous ceremonies in Los Angeles and New York City.

Feature films eligible for a Writers Guild Award were exhibited theatrically for at least one week in Los Angeles during 2014 and were written under the WGA’s Minimum Basic Agreement (MBA) or under a bona fide collective bargaining agreement of the Writers Guild of Canada, Writers Guild of Great Britain, Irish Playwrights & Screenwriters Guild, or the New Zealand Writers Guild. Theatrical screenplays produced under the jurisdiction of the WGA or an affiliate Guild must have been submitted for Writers Guild Awards consideration.

Documentaries eligible for a Writers Guild Award featured an onscreen writing credit and were exhibited theatrically in Los Angeles or New York for one week during 2014. Theatrical documentaries must have been produced under the jurisdiction of the WGA or an affiliate Guild to be eligible for awards consideration.

10th anniversary Black List scripts announced

The Black List was compiled from the suggestions of over 250 film executives, each of whom contributed the names of up to ten of his or her favorite scripts that were written in, or are somehow uniquely associated with, 2014 and will not have begun principal photography during this calendar year.

This year, scripts had to receive at least six mentions to be included on the Black List.

All reasonable effort has been made to confirm the information contained herein.

2014 BAFTA and BFI Screenwriters’ Lecture Series

Every year, BAFTA and BFI host a Screenwriters’ Lecture Series in London, England. This year's speakers were James Schamus (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, The Ice Storm) Emma Thompson (Sense And Sensibility, Nanny McPhee) and Steven Knight (Dirty Pretty Things, Eastern Promises).

They have made available the audio for each of the lectures, as well as provided transcriptions. These are linked below for all three talks.


James Schamus
Thursday 18 September, 7.00pm
BFI Southbank

James Schmaus is behind some of the most loved and critically acclaimed films of the last 25 years. His collaboration with director Ang Lee has resulted in 11 films; as a screenwriter, these include the Oscar and BAFTA-nominated Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000), The Ice Storm (1997) and Lust, Caution (2007). As a producer Schamus’ credits include BAFTA Best Picture winner Brokeback Mountain (2005) and, during his extraordinary career as CEO of Focus Pictures, he helped steward Lost In Translation (2003), The Constant Gardener (2005), The Pianist (2002) and, most recently, Dallas Buyers Club (2013) to the big screen. Schamus is also Professor of Professional Practice in Columbia University’s School of the Arts. Chaired by Tanya Seghatchian.

Call for submissions: fu-GEN Asian Canadian Theatre Company's Kitchen XII & Theatre Creators Reserve

Kitchen XII

Rage and Ecstasy: A Play Cycle by Emerging Asian Canadian Playwrights

Rage and Ecstasy is the title and theme of this year’s Kitchen Playwriting Unit for emerging Asian Canadian playwrights who are interested in honing their playwriting skills. This year the unit will be directed by Dramaturg Andrew Cheng, and will be working towards each participant creating their own original piece.

WGC's Writers Talking Feature Film presents free screening of The F Word (What If)

Writers Talking Feature Film, with Elan Mastai, "The F Word"

Don't miss the WGC's inaugural "Writers Talking Feature Film" event. Elan Mastai, writer of The F Word, will be interviewed by Michael McGowan, writer of Still Mine.

This intimate evening of conversation about the craft and art of the feature film will include a screening of The F Word (U.S. title: What If), starring Zoe Kazan & Daniel Radcliffe (still in movie theatres). And the on stage conversation will wrap with audience Q&A. It's a great opportunity to get the insiders' view of feature film writing with two very talented writers working in the business. The theatre has limited seating, so please RSVP as soon as possible.

Call for submissions: Innoversity Summit Pitch Competition

BELL MEDIA PRESENTS THE INNOVERSITY SUMMIT PITCH COMPETITION

Bell Media presents The Innoversity Summit Pitch Competition - a unique media competition with a staggering amount of prizes in TV Scripted, TV Unscripted, feature film, short film and digital media. Prizes valued at over a quarter of a million dollars.

16 finalist teams are selected and coached to compete for a terrific array of prizes, including months of priceless private mentorships with media industry giants and face to face coaching by Canada’s top media professionals, who have won hundreds of international awards including the Emmy, Sundance, Berlin and the Peabody Award.