The 38th USC Libraries Scripter Awards honored the screenwriters and authors of significant cinematic works on March 16, 2024. Notably, the awards recognized the talents behind Paul Thomas Anderson’s film One Battle After Another and the Netflix limited series Death By Lightning. This prestigious accolade is awarded to both the original author and the screenwriter of adapted screenplays, highlighting the collaborative nature of storytelling in film and television.
In the film category, Paul Thomas Anderson and original author Thomas Pynchon received the award for their work on One Battle After Another. The film, which draws inspiration from Pynchon’s 1990 novel, has garnered critical acclaim, winning multiple awards including those at the Golden Globes and Critics Choice Awards. It also achieved recognition with 13 nominations at the Academy Awards. The script triumphed over contenders such as Frankenstein, Hamnet, Peter Hujar’s Day, and Train Dreams.
In the episodic series category, screenwriter Mike Makowsky and author Candice Millard won for Death By Lightning, which is based on Millard’s nonfiction book, Destiny of the Republic: A Tale of Madness, Medicine, and the Murder of a President. The four-part Netflix series delves into the assassination of President James Garfield, portrayed by Michael Shannon, at the hands of Charles Guiteau, played by Matthew Macfadyen. This series topped a competitive field that included nominees from Dark Winds, Dept. Q, Slow Horses, and Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light.
The ceremony took place at the USC Town and Gown ballroom, a black-tie event that brought together the industry’s finest. Melissa Just, the dean of USC Libraries, emceed the evening, which also featured the presentation of the USC Libraries Scripter Literary Achievement Award. Renowned crime writer Michael Connelly received this honor, with Titus Welliver, who portrayed Connelly’s iconic detective Harry Bosch in the series on Prime Video, presenting the award.
The Scripter Awards serve as a platform to celebrate the art of adapting literary works to screen, recognizing the intricate process that brings stories from page to screen. As the industry continues to evolve, such accolades highlight the importance of storytelling across mediums.