"Children of Men" wins Scripter Award for writing

January 12, 2007

Children of Men, a movie based on a P.D. James book, has won the 2006 USC Scripter Award for its writing. Both the original author, James, and the screenwriting team will be honored by the University of South California for their work.

The winning screenwriters are Alfonso Cuaron, Timothy J. Sexton, David Arata, Mark Fergus, and Hawk Ostby. The Children of Men was James' 12th book, written in 1992.

USC School of Cinematic Arts Writing Division Chair Howard A. Rodman commented This year's five nominated films were, all of them, heartfelt and elegantly wrought. In that heady company, 'Children of Men' was first among equals. Messrs. Cuarón, Sexton, Arata, Fergus, and Ostby took P.D. James's bracingly dystopic novel and crafted from it a film at once brave, subtle, shocking. This is writing and screenwriting of the highest order.

For nineteen years, the USC Libraries Scripter Award has honored "writers for the best achievement in adaptation among English-language films released during the previous year and based on a book, novella or short story." While there are many awards for either screenwriting in general, or adapted screenwriting, the Scripter is the only award to recognize both the screenwriters and the original authors.

Also nominated was:
 * screenwriter Aline Brosh McKenna and author Lauren Weisberger for The Devil Wears Prada
 * screenwriter Neil Berger for The Illusionist, based on the story "Eisenheim the Illusionist" by Steven Millhauser
 * screenwriters Peter Morgan and Jeremy Brock for The Last King of Scotland, based on the book by Giles Foden
 * screenwriter Patrick Marber and author Zoe Heller for Notes on a Scandal

The titles were selected by committee, from a list of forty-five eligible films. The committee is made of Writers Guild of America members (including some Academy Award-winning screenwriters and Academy Award-nominated screen writers), authors, film industry executives, USC faculty, the dean of the USC Libraries, and selected members of the Friends of the USC Libraries, the sponsor of the event.

Previous screenwriters and authors honored include the teams behind Capote, Million Dollar Baby, The Hours, A Beautiful Mind, L.A. Confidential, The English Patient and Schindler's List.