Congratulations to Sarah Polley, Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert on their screenwriting wins at last night’s Academy Awards!
I never thought of myself as a screenwriter or a storyteller. I had self esteem problems. I never thought I was good enough. I have to thank all the people—My imposter syndrome is at an all-time high—I need to thank the people made me the storyteller I am, starting with my mom who protected me as a child. Protected the inner storyteller... Thank you for all the sacrifices. You gave me my life. My wife who protects me every day from the most negative thoughts I have, especially when I'm writing. And especially thank you to Daniel Scheinert. He's my confidence. He's the person who told me I was a storyteller and a filmmaker before I could even say that myself, and I would not be here without him.
–Daniel Kwan, accepting the award for Best Original Screenplay
Miriam Toews wrote an essential novel about a radical act of democracy in which people who don't agree on every single issue manage to sit together in a room and carve out a way forward together, free of violence. They do so, not just by talking but also by listening. The last line of our film is delivered by a young woman to her new baby, and she says "Your story will be different from ours." It's a promise, a commitment, and an anchor. And it's what I would like to say with all my might to my three incredible kids Eve, Isla, and Amy as they make their way through this complicated, beautiful world.
–Sarah Polley, accepting the award for Best Adapted Screenplay
To hear more from them on the scripts that got them there, take a listen to their recent interviews on Scriptnotes:
Sarah Polley joins John and Craig to talk about twice-removed adaptations, crafting fable-like settings, protecting your audience, and the power of narration (as well as her book, Run Towards the Danger).
The Daniels cover topics including their process of chasing challenging ideas and the importance of novelty seeking.
Also, you might find this story about another Academy Award Winner inneresting: Walter Chaw shares how his childhood resentment at being compared to the characters played by Ke Huy Quan transformed into admiration, and how the actor’s resurgence plays into reclaiming his own sense of identity.
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🗣 Have ideas for future topics (or just want to say hello)? Reach out to Chris via email at inneresting@johnaugust.com, Twitter @ccsont, or Mastodon @ccsont@mastodon.art