Premium96th Academy Awards - Anatomy of a Fall (original) and American Fiction (adapted) scoop Oscar screenplay wins
Oscar victories were clinched by Anatomy of a Fall and American Fiction in a screenplay showdown.
Last Updated: 05.50 AM, Mar 11, 2024
The 96th Academy Awards are being held, and the winners in the Best Scree nplay categories are Anatomy of a Fall (original), a screenplay by Justine Triet and Arthur Harari, and American Fiction (adapted), a screenplay by Cord Jefferson.
Anatomy of a Fall wins best original screenplay
In the drama that Triet also directed, Sandra Hüller portrays a woman accused of killing her husband. In order to win, Triet and Hariri competed against a field that included Celine Song for Past Lives and David Hemingson for The Holdovers. Anatomy of a Fall broke the streak since Parasite in 2019 by becoming the first non-English-language film to win this award.
Among the many accolades bestowed upon Anatomy of a Fall this year are the following: six European film awards, six Césars, two Golden Globes (including best screenplay), and a Bafta for best original screenplay; these came after the picture's May victory at the Cannes Film Festival. Unfortunately, France's nomination for the Academy Award for best foreign film was the romantic culinary drama The Taste of Things; therefore, it missed out on competing for the top prize.
As Triet expressed her gratitude to the Academy, she said she is hoping this win will help her through her mid-life crisis. She then went on to compare and contrast the glitz of the event with the filmmaking process. Locked in the house with two young people glued to cartoons, seeking solace during lockdown, and changing diapers is considered part of the job.
American Fiction secures best adapted screenplay
The adapted screenplay for the comedy American Fiction by Cord Jefferson was the winner of his first Academy Award, albeit a very close battle. The winning screenplay, Fiction, was based on Percival Everett's 2001 novel Erasure. Other strong contenders included Oppenheimer by Christopher Nolan, Barbie by Greta Gerwig and Noah Baumbach, and Poor Things by Tony McNamara. Jefferson, a producer for the Amazon Studios MGM release, also received a nomination for Best Picture.
During the lengthy awards season, Jefferson witnessed the unexpected victory of American Fiction for the People's Choice Award at the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival, following the film's global premiere in September. In 2024, he was also honoured with the Best Adapted Screenplay BAFTA Award and the Best Screenplay Film Independent Spirit Award. Jefferson received nominations for the PGA "Theatrical Motion Picture" and DGA "First Time Feature Film" awards in addition to his WGA Fiction nomination.
Not only did Fiction receive nods for Best Picture and Adapted Screenplay, but it also garnered nominations for Best Supporting Actor (Sterling K. Brown), Original Score (Laura Karpman), and Best Actor (Jeffrey Wright).