Alternative Film Guide

Julia Roberts in Erin Brockovich, written by 1992 Nicholl fellow Susannah Grant.

Ten scripts have been selected as finalists for the 22nd annual Don and Gee Nicholl Fellowships in Screenwriting, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. The finalists, selected from 5,050 scripts submitted for this year’s competition., will be judged by the Nicholl Committee, which may award up to five $30,000 fellowships.

This year’s finalists are (listed alphabetically by author):

Julian Breece, Los Angeles, California, "Ball"
Amy Garcia, Manteca, California and Cecilia Contreras, Pleasanton, California, "Amelia Earhart and the Bologna Rainbow Highway"
Lisa M. Gold, Long Beach, California, "The Poker Wars"
Michael L. Hare, Moorpark, California, "The Fly Fisher"
Sidney King, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, "Kalona"
David Mango, Japan and Syracuse, New York, "Kissing a Suicide Bomber"
John Robert Marlow, Los Angeles, California, "Nano"
Brett Nicholson, Katy, Texas, "Queen of the Sky"
Andrew Pritzker, Kansas City, Missouri, "Sweet in the Saddle"
Andrew Shearer and Nicholas J. Sherman, Los Angeles, California, "Holy Irresistible"

Marlow was also a finalist in the 2001.

As per the Academy’s press release, "the competition is open to any individual who has not sold or optioned a screenplay or teleplay for more than $5,000 or received a fellowship or prize that includes a ‘first look’ clause, an option, or any other quid pro quo involving the writer’s work."

This year’s Nicholl Committee, chaired by Academy Award nominee (for Erin Brockovich) and 1992 Nicholl fellow Susannah Grant, is comprised of writers Naomi Foner Gyllenhaal, Hal Kanter, Dan Petrie, Jr., and Dana Stevens; cinematographers John Bailey and Steven Poster; executive Bill Mechanic; producers Gale Anne Hurd, David Nicksay, Robert Shapiro, and Buffy Shutt; and agent Ron Mardigian.

"Fellowships are awarded with the understanding that the recipients will each complete a feature-length screenplay during the fellowship year. The Academy acquires no rights to the works of Nicholl fellows and does not involve itself commercially in any way with their completed scripts."

Since the program’s inception in 1985, 98 fellowships have been awarded. Among the fellowship recipients are Ehren Kruger (Blood and Chocolate, The Ring, The Ring Two, The Brothers Grimm), TJ Lynch (A Plumm Summer), Annmarie Morais (How She Move), and Rebecca Sonnenshine (American Zombie).

Among the other Nicholl fellows who have their screenplays produced are:

Allison Anders (1986 fellow)
"Things behind the Sun (co-writer-director), 2001
"Mi Vida Loca" (writer-director), 1994
"Gas Food Lodging" (writer-director), 1992

Victoria Arch (1993 fellow)
"Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights" (co-writer), 2004

Doug Atchison (2000 fellow)
"Akeelah and the Bee" (writer-director), 2006, Nicholl entry script

Raymond De Felitta (1991 fellow)
"’Tis Autumn: The Search for Jackie Paris" (director), 2007
"The Thing about My Folks" (director), 2005
"Two Family House" (writer-director), 2000, Nicholl fellowship year script

Robert Edwards (2001 fellow)
"Land of the Blind" (writer-director), 2006, Nicholl entry script

Jacob Aaron Estes (1998 fellow)
"Nearing Grace" (writer), 2006
"Mean Creek" (writer-director), 2004, Nicholl entry script

Andrew W. Marlowe (1992 fellow)
"Hollow Man" (writer), 2000
"End of Days" (writer), 1999
"Air Force One" (writer), 1997

Karen Moncrieff (1998 fellow)
"The Dead Girl" (right, writer-director), 2006
"Blue Car" (writer-director), 2003, Nicholl entry script

Dawn O’Leary (1993 fellow)
"Admissions" (aka "Island of Brilliance") (writer), 2004, Nicholl entry script

Mike Rich (1998 fellow)
"The Nativity Story" (writer), 2006
"Radio" (writer), 2003
"The Rookie" (writer), 2002
"Finding Forrester" (writer), 2000, Nicholl entry script

In addition, Jeffrey Eugenides, an inaugural year fellow, went on to win a Pulitzer Prize in 2003 for his novel Middlesex.

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