Geoffrey Shawn Fletcher (born October 4, 1970) is an American screenwriter and film director. Fletcher is best known for being the screenwriter of ''
Precious'', for which he received the
Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay
The Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay is the Academy Award for the best screenplay adapted from previously established material. The most frequently adapted media are novels, but other adapted narrative formats include stage plays, musica ...
, becoming the first African American to receive an Academy Award for writing. In September 2010, Fletcher began shooting ''
Violet & Daisy'' in New York City based on his original script as his directorial debut. It was released in a limited theatrical run in June 2013.
Early life
Fletcher was born in
New London, Connecticut
New London is a seaport city and a port of entry on the northeast coast of the United States, located at the mouth of the Thames River in New London County, Connecticut. It was one of the world's three busiest whaling ports for several decades ...
, one of three children of Alphonse Fletcher, Sr. and Bettye R. Fletcher.
Alphonse Fletcher, Jr. and Todd Fletcher are his brothers. Fletcher attended
Waterford High School in
Waterford, Connecticut
Waterford is a town in New London County, Connecticut, United States. It is named after Waterford, Ireland. The population was 19,571 at the 2020 census. The town center is listed as a census-designated place (CDP) and had a population of 3,074 ...
prior to completing his secondary education at
Choate Rosemary Hall
Choate Rosemary Hall (often known as Choate; ) is a private, co-educational, college-preparatory boarding school in Wallingford, Connecticut, United States. Choate is currently ranked as the second best boarding school and third best private high ...
. Fletcher graduated from
Harvard College
Harvard College is the undergraduate college of Harvard University, an Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636, Harvard College is the original school of Harvard University, the oldest institution of higher lea ...
where he concentrated in psychology and from
NYU
New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then-Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin.
In 1832, the ...
's
Tisch School where he earned a Master of Fine Arts. His student film ''Magic Markers'', which he wrote and directed, was shown at festivals
and caught the attention of director
John Singleton
John Daniel Singleton (January 6, 1968 April 28, 2019) was an American director, screenwriter, and producer. He made his feature film debut writing and directing ''Boyz n the Hood'' (1991), for which he was nominated for the Academy Award for B ...
.
[
]
Career
Fletcher worked in a variety of temporary staff positions for years as he wrote and directed his own films. Eventually he was appointed an adjunct professor at Tisch and also at Columbia. In 2006, producer Lee Daniels
Lee Daniels (born December 24, 1959) is an American film and television producer, director and screenwriter. His first producer credit was ''Monster's Ball'' (2001), for which Halle Berry won the Academy Award for Best Actress, making Daniels ...
viewed ''Magic Markers'' and asked Fletcher to adapt the book ''Push
Push may refer to:
Music
* Mike Dierickx (born 1973), a Belgian producer also known as Push
Albums
* ''Push'' (Bros album), 1988
* ''Push'' (Gruntruck album), 1992
* ''Push'' (Jacky Terrasson album), 2010
Songs
* "Push" (Enrique Iglesias s ...
'' by Sapphire
Sapphire is a precious gemstone, a variety of the mineral corundum, consisting of aluminium oxide () with trace amounts of elements such as iron, titanium, chromium, vanadium, or magnesium. The name sapphire is derived via the Latin "sapphir ...
which became the film ''Precious.'' Daniels, well known to be "passionately dedicated" to artists "serious about their craft," considered several writers before choosing Fletcher according to a ''Variety
Variety may refer to:
Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats
* Variety (radio)
* Variety show, in theater and television
Films
* ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont
* ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...
'' article that included Fletcher among the "Ten Screenwriters to Watch." Fletcher is represented by his agents Bill Weinstein, Nicky Mohebbi, and Manal Hamad of Verve and by the law firm of Gang, Tyre, Ramer, and Brown.
On February 16, 2010 director Doug Liman
Douglas Eric Liman (; born July 24, 1965) is an American film director and producer. He is known for directing the films '' Swingers'' (1996), '' Go'' (1999), '' The Bourne Identity'' (2002), '' Mr. & Mrs. Smith'' (2005), ''Jumper'' (2008), ''Edg ...
and Fletcher announced that they would be collaborating on a film re-creation of the 1971 Attica state prison rebellion. Fletcher said in a statement "Working with a remarkable director in Doug Liman whose family history binds him personally to this project, I hope to create opportunities for re-examination of this dramatic crossroad in our nation's history while contributing to the current dialogue on the value of protecting everyone's rights."
Filmography
* '' Precious'' (2009) - writer
* '' Violet & Daisy'' (2011) - director, writer
* '' Trial by Fire'' (2018) - writer
Recognition
Screenwriting awards for ''Precious''
* Best Adapted Screenplay at 82nd Academy Awards
The 82nd Academy Awards ceremony, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), honored the best films of 2009 and took place on March 7, 2010, at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles beginning at 5:30 p.m ...
*Best First Screenplay at 25th Independent Spirit Awards
*Winner Outstanding Writing in a Motion Picture at 41st NAACP Image Awards
*Best Screenplay – Adapted Geoffrey Fletcher at 14th Satellite Awards
*Best Screenplay Geoffrey Fletcher at 7th AAFCA Awards
*Best Screenplay, Original or Adapted Geoffrey Fletcher at 10th Black Reel Awards
Screenwriting nominations for ''Precious''
*Best Screenplay – Adapted at 8th Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association
*Best Screenplay, Adapted at 4th Alliance of Women Film Journalists Award
*Best Screenplay at 3rd Houston Film Critics Society Awards
*Best Adapted Screenplay at 14th Florida Film Critics Circle Awards
*Scripter Award at Sapphire 23rd USC Scripter Awards
*Adapted Screenplay at 62nd Writers Guild of America Awards
*Adapted Screenplay at 63rd British Academy Film Awards
The 63rd ceremony of the British Academy Film Awards, given by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts, took place on 21 February 2010 and honoured the best films of 2009.
Winners and nominees
BAFTA Fellowship
* Vanessa Redgra ...
Awards and Festivals for ''Magic Markers''
*Directors Guild of America
The Directors Guild of America (DGA) is an entertainment guild that represents the interests of film and television directors in the United States motion picture industry and abroad. Founded as the Screen Directors Guild in 1936, the group merge ...
Student Film Award, 1996.
*Shown at Hamptons International Film Festival
The Hamptons International Film Festival (HIFF) is an international film festival founded in 1992, by Joyce Robinson. The festival has since taken place every year in East Hampton, New York. It is usually an annual five-day event in mid-October a ...
October 18–22, 1995.
*Shown at Sundance Film Festival
The Sundance Film Festival (formerly Utah/US Film Festival, then US Film and Video Festival) is an annual film festival organized by the Sundance Institute. It is the largest independent film festival in the United States, with more than 46,66 ...
(Shorts Program) in Park City, Utah January 18–28, 1996.[
]
See also
*List of Academy Award records
This list of Academy Award records is current as of the 94th Academy Awards ceremony, held on March 27, 2022, which honored the best films of mid-to-late 2021.
Most awards
* Most awards won by a single film: 11
** Three films have won 11 Acad ...
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fletcher, Geoffrey S.
1970 births
Living people
American male screenwriters
Best Adapted Screenplay Academy Award winners
Choate Rosemary Hall alumni
Harvard College alumni
Tisch School of the Arts alumni
Independent Spirit Award winners
Writers from New London, Connecticut
New York University staff
Columbia University staff
African-American screenwriters