The Netflix apocalyptic satire movie wins the top honor for Original Screenplay as 'The Power of the Dog' and 'Belfast' were ineligible for the Writers Guild Awards.
- Mar 21, 2022
AceShowbiz - "Don't Look Up" has come out as a surprise winner at the 74th annual Writers Guild of America Awards. The Netflix apocalyptic satire movie, which was written by Adam McKay, won the Original Screenplay category after edging out the likes of "Being the Ricardos", "The French Dispatch", "King Richard" and "Licorice Pizza".
"Belfast", a strong Oscar contender in the original category, as well as Jane Campion's "The Power of the Dog", were not eligible for this year's WGA Awards. Meanwhile, Maggie Gyllenhaal's "The Lost Daughter" was ineligible on the adapted side, giving a way to "CODA", written by Sian Heder, to win in the Adapted Screenplay category.
Another winner in the movie field, Documentary Screenplay, was nabbed by Marc Shaffer for "Exposing Muybridge". The show also honored Barry Jenkins with Paul Selvin Award, while comedian and writer Dick Cavett received Evelyn F. Burkey Award.
Accepting the award from Colman Domingo, Jenkins called the honor "an affirmation to keep working the way we are." He also quoted Ralph Ellison as saying, "Good fiction is made of what is real, and reality is difficult to come by."
Jenkins reminded amid so much information, "we have to do the work to find what's true about humanity and human experiences and put them into our stories to share our version of reality that can't be denied."
Meanwhile, Cavett received the award from late-night host Seth Meyers. In his acceptance speech, Cavett thanked writers and Burkey herself, whom he called a "real character."
Ashley Nicole Black-hosted virtual ceremony which was held on Sunday, March 20. Some presenters seemed to be present on a traditional WGA Awards stage, with some presenters appearing remotely.
The show also handed out trophies for the winners in TV categories and aired footage of Bob Saget at a previous WGA Awards ceremony in a tribute to the late comedian.
FILM WINNERS
- Original Screenplay: "Don't Look Up", Screenplay by Adam McKay, Story by Adam McKay & David Sirota; Netflix
- Adapted Screenplay: "CODA", Screenplay by Sian Heder, Based on the Original Motion Picture La Famille Belier Directed by Eric Lartigau, Written by Victoria Bedos, Stanislas Carree de Malberg, Eric Lartigau and Thomas Bidegain; Apple
- Documentary Screenplay: "Exposing Muybridge", Written by Marc Shaffer; Inside Out Media
SPECIAL WINNERS
- Paul Selvin Award: Barry Jenkins
- Evelyn F. Burkey Award: Dick Cavett
