“Write what you know” — the age-old advice to aspiring writers has long beendebated by distinguished wordsmiths and creative minds. Kazuo Ishiguro, writerof the 2022 British drama “Living,” has said the phrase “is the most stupidthing I’ve heard. … It’s the reverse of firing the imagination and potentialof writers.” Does similar thinking still govern the studio heads whogreenlight movies, the consumers who watch them and especially the awardsvoters who nominate them?
Maybe that explains why, in an industry dominated by white men, women arestruggling to be recognized in the Oscars’ screenplay categories. While theAcademy continues its pursuit of inclusion, women artists and filmmakers arestill fighting to have their contributions seen. Multiple women may land inthe directing race this year, but the screenplay categories are in dire needof improvement. In 2014, the year #OscarsSoWhite was born, none of the writingnominees in either category was a woman.
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Of the 65 films nominated for original screenplay since 2009, only 11 had awoman attached as a writer. In adapted screenplay, 16 of the 65 nominees had afemale writer. In 2014, the year #OscarsSoWhite was launched, none of thewriting nominees in either category was a woman.
As the early precursors are handed out by critics, the top-tier contenders fororiginal screenplay are tracking toward writer-directors such as the Daniels,Todd Field and Martin McDonagh. The best shots for a woman getting recognizedare Charlotte Wells, director of independent beauty “Aftersun,” and DanaStevens for “The Woman King.” If those films come up short, it could be thesecond straight year no original screenplay nominees will have a woman writerattached. Other possibilities — such as “Till” (from co-writer ChinonyeChukwu), “Nanny” (Nikyatu Jusu) and “Turning Red” (Domee Shi) — areconsiderable long shots.
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In adapted screenplay, all hopes for women scribes are resting on writer-director Sarah Polley for “Women Talking,” which tells the story of a group ofwomen who consider leaving their religious community after being raped.Polley, previously nominated in the category for “Away From Her” (2007), hasbeen the leading contender since her drama debuted at Telluride, with only“Glass Onion” and “Living” looking to challenge.
SHE SAID, from left: director Maria Schrader, Carey Mulligan, Zoe Kazan
Despite the dismal box office performance of “She Said,” which recounts theuncovering of Harvey Weinstein’s decades-long pattern of sexual abuse,Universal Pictures still has confidence in the viability of its scribe,Rebecca Lenkiewicz, finding love from the branch in adapted screenplay .
Although thrillers are not typical Academy fodder, Krysty Wilson-Cairns, whoearned a nom for co-writing “1917” (2019), is in the conversation for adaptedfor Netflix’s “The Good Nurse.” Well-respected among her peers, she constructsa story about more than the crime saga it depicts, exploring themessurrounding health care and the fierce determination of an unsung heroine.
Lower-profile films with female writers, such as Lena Dunham (“CatherineCalled Birdy”), Alice Birch (“The Wonder”) and Mia Goth (“Pearl”) could likelyfind various spots on the circuit with regional groups. But pending late-breaking buzz, they are not expected to make an impact.
Do you think the argument is overblown? In the 94 years of the Academy Awards,we’ve yet to have two screenplay winners from two solo female writers in thesame year. Also notable: each category has only yielded one Black woman, oneLatina and two Asian women as screenplay nominees.
Diversity isn’t just about who’s behind the camera. It’s needed before it evenstarts rolling.
See the latest film predictions, in all 23 categories, in one place onVarieties Oscar ‘s Collective. To see the ranked predictions foreach individual category, visit Varieties Oscar ‘s Hub.
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