The Don and Gee Nicholl Fellowships in Screenwriting is a fellowship program founded in 1986 to aid

screenwriter A screenplay writer (also called screenwriter, scriptwriter, scribe or scenarist) is a writer who practices the craft of screenwriting, writing screenplays on which mass media, such as films, television programs and video games, are based. ...

s. It is administered by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

History

Gee Nicholl, widow of producer Don Nicholl, worked with

Julian Blaustein Julian Blaustein (May 30, 1913 – June 20, 1995) was an American film producer. Born in New York City, Blaustein graduated from Harvard University in 1933. He spent a year in flight training at the Randolph Air Force Base before heading to Holl ...

in 1985 to develop the program with the Academy. The original 1986 winners were Allison Anders, Dennis Clontz, and Jeff Eugenides. 1989 fellow

Radha Bharadwaj Radha Bharadwaj is an Indian filmmaker, film producer and screenwriter. She moved to the United States in her late teens to study film. Bharadwaj's screenwriting and directing feature debut is '' Closet Land''. The surreal psychological drama w ...

wrote the first screenplay made into a film, the 1991 drama ''

Closet Land ''Closet Land'' is a 1991 independent film written and directed by Radha Bharadwaj. The film stars Madeleine Stowe as a young author of children's books and Alan Rickman as a sadistic secret policeman who is interrogating her. The film was relea ...

''. Clontz won a

Pulitzer Prize The Pulitzer Prize () is an award for achievements in newspaper, magazine, online journalism, literature, and musical composition within the United States. It was established in 1917 by provisions in the will of Joseph Pulitzer, who had made h ...

in 1994 and Eugenides won one in 2003. 1992 fellow Susannah Grant was the first nominated for an Academy Award, for the screenplay for '' Erin Brockovich''. The fellowship celebrated its 25th year in 2010.Kilday, Greg (October 18, 2010)
Michael Arndt to Give Keynote at AMPAS' Nicholl Fellowships Dinner.
'' The Hollywood Reporter'' Beginning in 2013, a reading of scenes from winning screenplays have been performed by professional actors in front of an audience. In 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic, the reading was conducted virtually. Actors that have participated in these readings over the years include: Kathy Baker, Elle Fanning, Ken Jeong, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Freida Pinto, Alia Shawkat,

Wes Studi Wesley Studi ( chr, ᏪᏌ ᏍᏚᏗ; born December 17, 1947) is a Native American (Cherokee Nation) actor and film producer. He has garnered critical acclaim and awards throughout his career, particularly for his portrayal of Native Americans ...

Blair Underwood Blair Erwin Underwood (born August 25, 1964) is an American actor. He made his debut in the 1985 musical film ''Krush Groove'' and from 1987 to 1994 starred as attorney Jonathan Rollins in the NBC legal drama series ''L.A. Law''. Underwood has a ...

, Vince Vaughn, and

Anton Yelchin Anton Viktorovich Yelchin ( rus, Антон Викторович Ельчин, p=ɐnˈton ˈvʲiktərəvʲɪtɕ ˈjelʲtɕɪn; March 11, 1989 – June 19, 2016) was an American actor. Born in the Soviet Union to a Russian Jewish family, he emigr ...

. As of the 2013 contest, 17 winning scripts have later been produced.

Fellows

2020-present

2022 Nicholl Fellows * Jennifer Archer, ''Into the Deep Blue'' * Callie Bloem and Christopher Ewing, ''Tape 22'' * Sam Boyer, ''Ojek'' * J.M. Levine, ''Operation Gemini'' * Timothy Ware-Hill, ''Tyrone and the Looking Glass'' 2021 Nicholl Fellows * Haley Hope Bartels, ''Pumping Black'' * Karin delaPeña Collison, ''Coming of Age'' * Byron Hamel, ''Shade of the Grapefruit Tree'' * R.J. Daniel Hanna, ''Shelter Animal'' * Laura Kosann, ''The Ideal Woman'' 2020 Nicholl Fellows * James Acker, ''Sadboi'' * Beth Curry, ''Lemon'' * Vanar Jaddou, ''Goodbye, Iraq'' * Kate Marks, ''The Cow of Queens'' * Jane Therese, ''Sins of My Father''

2010-2019

2019 Nicholl Fellows * Aaron Chung, ''Princess Vietnam'' * Karen McDermott, ''Lullabies of La Jaula'' * Renee Pillai, ''Boy with Kite'' * Sean Malcolm, ''Mother'' * Walker McKnight, ''Street Rat Allie Punches Her Ticket'' 2018 Nicholl Fellows * Allison Buckmelter and Nicolas Buckmelter, ''American Refugee'' * Joey Clarke, Jr., ''Miles'' * Grace Sherman, ''Numbers and Words'' * Wenonah Wilms, ''Horsehead Girls'' 2017 Nicholl Fellows * Vigil Chime, ''Bring Back Girl'' * SJ Inwards, ''Jellyfish Summer'' * Max Lance and Jen Bailey, ''The Queen of Sleaze'' * KG Rockmaker, ''Last Days of Winter'' * Cesar Vitale, ''The Great Nothing'' 2016 Nicholl Fellows * Michele Atkins, ''Talking About the Sky'' * Spencer Harvey and Lloyd Harvey, ''Photo Booth'' * Geeta Malik, ''Dinner with Friends'' * Elizabeth Oyebode, ''Tween the Ropes'' * Justin Piasecki, ''Death of an Ortolan'' 2015 Nicholl Fellows *

Amy Tofte Amy is a female given name, sometimes short for Amanda, Amelia, Amélie, or Amita. In French, the name is spelled ''"Aimée"''. People A–E * Amy Acker (born 1976), American actress * Amy Vera Ackman, also known as Mother Giovanni (1886– ...

, ''Addis Abeka'' *

Andrew Friedhof Andrew is the English form of a given name common in many countries. In the 1990s, it was among the top ten most popular names given to boys in English-speaking countries. "Andrew" is frequently shortened to "Andy" or "Drew". The word is derived ...

, ''Great Falls'' *

Anthony Grieco Anthony or Antony is a masculine given name, derived from the ''Antonii'', a ''gens'' ( Roman family name) to which Mark Antony (''Marcus Antonius'') belonged. According to Plutarch, the Antonii gens were Heracleidae, being descendants of Anton, ...

, '' Best Sellers'' (Produced) *

Elizabeth Chomko Elizabeth Chomko (born 1981) is an American playwright, film director, screenwriter and actress best known for the film ''What They Had.'' Early life Chomko grew up in Chicago, Minnesota and Wisconsin. Her family moved to Belgium when she ...

, '' What They Had'' (Produced) *

Sam Regnier Sam, SAM or variants may refer to: Places * Sam, Benin * Sam, Boulkiemdé, Burkina Faso * Sam, Bourzanga, Burkina Faso * Sam, Kongoussi, Burkina Faso * Sam, Iran * Sam, Teton County, Idaho, United States, a populated place People and fictio ...

, ''Free Agent'' 2014 Nicholl Fellows *Sam Baron, ''The Science of Love and Laughter'' * Alisha Brophy & Scott Miles, ''United States of Fuckin' Awesome'' * Melissa Iqbal, ''The Death Engine'' * Sallie West, ''Moonflower'' 2013 Nicholl Fellows * Frank DeJohn & David Alton Hedges, ''Legion'' * Patty Jones, ''Joe Banks'' *

Alan Roth Alan may refer to: People *Alan (surname), an English and Turkish surname *Alan (given name), an English given name **List of people with given name Alan ''Following are people commonly referred to solely by "Alan" or by a homonymous name.'' *Al ...

, ''Jersey City Story'' * Stephanie Shannon, ''Queen of Hearts'' * Barbara Stepansky, ''Sugar in My Veins'' 2012 Nicholl Fellows * Nikole Beckwith, ''Stockholm, Pennsylvania'' (Produced) *

Sean Robert Daniels Sean, also spelled Seán or Séan in Irish English, is a male given name of Irish origin. It comes from the Irish versions of the Biblical Hebrew name ''Yohanan'' (), Seán (anglicized as ''Shaun/ Shawn/ Shon'') and Séan (Ulster variant; angli ...

, ''Killers'' * James DiLapo, ''Devils at Play'' *

Allan Durand Allan may refer to: People * Allan (name), a given name and surname, including list of people and characters with this name * Allan (footballer, born 1984) (Allan Barreto da Silva), Brazilian football striker * Allan (footballer, born 1989) (Al ...

, ''Willie Francis Must Die Again'' * Michael Werwie, ''

Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile ''Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile'' is a 2019 American biographical crime drama film about the life of serial killer Ted Bundy. Directed by Joe Berlinger with a screenplay from Michael Werwie, the film is based on Bundy's former girlfr ...

'' (Produced) 2011 Nicholl Fellows * Chris Bessounian & Tianna Langham, ''Guns and Saris'' * Dion Cook, ''Cutter'' * John MacInnes, ''Outside the Wire'' * Matthew Murphy, ''Unicorn'' * Abel Vang & Burlee Vang, ''The Tiger's Child'' 2010 Nicholl Fellows * Destin Daniel Cretton, ''

Short Term 12 ''Short Term 12'' is a 2013 American Independent film, independent drama film written and directed by Destin Daniel Cretton. It is adapted from Cretton's short film of the same name, produced in 2009. The film stars Brie Larson as Grace Howard, a ...

'' (Produced) *

Marvin Krueger Marvin may refer to: __NOTOC__ Geography ;In the United States * Marvyn, Alabama, also spelled Marvin, an unincorporated community * Marvin, Missouri, an unincorporated community * Marvin, North Carolina, a village * Marvin, South Dakota, a town * R ...

, ''And Handled with a Chain'' * Andrew Lanham, ''The Jumper of Maine'' * Micah Ranum, '' A Good Hunter'' (Produced) * Cinthea Stahl, ''Identifying Marks''

2000-2009

2009 Nicholl Fellows * Matt Ackley, ''Victoria Falls'' * Vineet Dewan and Angus Fletcher, ''Sand Dogs'' *

John Griffin John Griffin may refer to: Lawyers *John Griffin (judge) (1774/1779 – after 1823), American jurist and member of the Michigan Territorial Supreme Court, 1806–1823 *John Bowes Griffin (1903–1992), British lawyer, Chief Justice of Uganda and f ...

, ''Dream Before Waking'' * Nidhi Anna Verghese, ''Jallianwala Bagh'' * Jeff Williams, ''Pure'' 2008 Nicholl Fellows * Jeremy Bandow, ''Hive'' *

Ken Kristensen Ken Kristensen is a screenwriter, TV writer, and comic book author. Kristensen has served as writer-producer on multiple series including '' Shantaram'' (Apple TV+/Paramount), '' The Continental: From the World of John Wick'' (Peacock/Lionsgate ...

Colin Marshall Colin Marsh Marshall, Baron Marshall of Knightsbridge (16 November 1933 – 5 July 2012), was a British businessman and member of the House of Lords. Early and family life Marshall was educated at University College School, an independent schoo ...

, ''Out of Breath'' * Jason A. Micallef, '' Butter'' (Produced) *

Eric Nazarian Eric Nazarian is an Armenian-American film director and screenwriter. He was born in Armenia and moved to the United States as a child, growing up in Los Angeles. He is a graduate of the University of Southern California's School of Cinematic Art ...

, ''Giants'' * Lee Patterson, ''Snatched'' 2007 Nicholl Fellows * Amy Garcia & Cecilia Contreras, ''Amelia Earhart and the Bologna Rainbow Highway'' * Michael L. Hare, ''The Fly Fisher'' *

Sidney King Sidney King (1885–1972) was an English cricketer. King's batting style is unknown. He was born at Rushden, Northamptonshire. King made his first-class debut for Northamptonshire against Gloucestershire in the 1907 County Championship. H ...

, ''Kalona'' * David Mango, ''Kissing a Suicide Bomber'' *Andrew Shearer & Nicholas J. Sherman,
Holy Irresistible
' 2006 Nicholl Fellows * Alfred E. Carpenter &

Mark A. Matusof Mark may refer to: Currency * Bosnia and Herzegovina convertible mark, the currency of Bosnia and Herzegovina * East German mark, the currency of the German Democratic Republic * Estonian mark, the currency of Estonia between 1918 and 1927 * Fi ...

, ''38 Mercury'' *

Arthur M. Jolly Arthur M. Jolly (born 1969) is an American playwright and screenwriter. In 2006, he was awarded an Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Nicholl Fellowship in Screenwriting for his comedy ''The Free Republic of Bobistan''. Early life Jo ...

, ''The Free Republic of Bobistan'' *

Stephanie Lord Stephanie is a female name that comes from the Greek name Στέφανος (Stephanos) meaning "crown". The male form is Stephen. Forms of Stephanie in other languages include the German "Stefanie", the Italian, Czech, Polish, and Russian " Ste ...

, ''Palau Rain'' * Josh D. Schorr, ''10 Day Contract'' * Scott K. Simonsen, ''Tides of Summer'' 2005 Nicholl Fellows * Morgan Read-Davidson, ''The Days Between'' * Seth Resnik & Ron Moskovitz, ''Fire in a Coal Mine'' *

Michael D. Zungolo Michael may refer to: People * Michael (given name), a given name * Michael (surname), including a list of people with the surname Michael Given name "Michael" * Michael (archangel), ''first'' of God's archangels in the Jewish, Christian and ...

, ''No Country'' * Colleen Cooper De Maio, ''Pirates of Lesser Providence'' * Gian Marco Masoni, ''Ring of Fire'' 2004 Nicholl Fellows * Sean Mahoney, ''Fenian's Trace'' *Daniel Lawrence, ''The Gaza Golem'' * Doug Davidson, ''Letter Quest'' * Whit Rummel, ''The Secret Boy'' * John Sinclair & Nova Jacobs, ''Split Infinity'' 2003 Nicholl Fellows * Andrea R. Herman, ''Augmentation'' * Tejal K. Desai & Brian C. Wray, ''Linda and Henry'' *

Annie Reid Annie may refer to: People and fictional characters * Annie (given name), a given name and a list of people and fictional characters with the name * Annie (actress) (born 1975), Indian actress * Annie (singer) (born 1977), Norwegian singer The ...

, ''Revival'' * Bragi Schut Jr., '' Season of the Witch'' (Produced) *

James N. Mottern James is a common English language surname and given name: *James (name), the typically masculine first name James * James (surname), various people with the last name James James or James City may also refer to: People * King James (disambiguat ...

, '' Trucker'' (Produced) 2002 Nicholl Fellows * John Ciarlo, ''Bend in the River'' * Matt Harris, ''Moon of Popping Trees'' * Pamela Kay, ''Nude and Naked'' * Kurt Kuenne, ''Mason Mule'' * Creighton Rothenberger, ''The Chosin'' 2001 Nicholl Fellows * Patricia Burroughs, ''Redemption'' * Greg M. Dawless, ''One Hour Development'' * Robert S. Edwards, '' Land of the Blind'' (Produced) * Albert Letizia, ''The Northern Lights'' * Cameron B. Young, ''Saint Vincent'' 2000 Nicholl Fellows *

Doug Atchison Doug Atchison is an American motion picture director and screenwriter. He received the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Nicholl Fellowship for the screenplay for '' Akeelah and the Bee'', which Atchison directed as a film in 2006. Aft ...

, '' Akeelah and the Bee'' (Produced) * Alfredo Botello, ''The Crasher'' *

Gabrielle Burton Gabrielle Burton (born Gabrielle Diane Bridget Baker; August 21, 1939 – September 3, 2015) was an American feminist novelist and screenwriter. Biography She was born in Lansing, Michigan to Clifford and Helen (née Dailey) Baker. She attended ...

, ''The Imperial Waltz'' * Christine R. Downs, ''Victory Road'' * James M. Foley, ''Powder River Breakdown''

1990-1999

1999 Nicholl Fellows * Chris E. Balibrera, ''Harvest'' *

T. J. Lynch T. J. Lynch (born 1964?) is a screenwriter residing in Los Angeles. He was born and raised in Billings, Montana, and received a Bachelor of Science degree from Montana State University in Film & Television Production in 1986. In 1999 he was awarded ...

, ''The Beginning of Wisdom'' * Annmarie E. Morais, ''Bleeding'' * Jaime David Silverman, ''Last Meals'' * Rebecca A. Sonnenshine, ''Mermaid Dreams'' 1998 Nicholl Fellows * Jacob A. Estes, ''

Mean Creek ''Mean Creek'' is a 2004 American coming-of-age psychological drama film written and directed by Jacob Aaron Estes and starring Rory Culkin, Ryan Kelley, Scott Mechlowicz, Trevor Morgan, Josh Peck, and Carly Schroeder. It was produced by Susa ...

'' (Produced) * Robert H. Gyde, ''Jelly-Babies'' * Donna McNeely, ''Julia's Child'' *

Karen M. Moncrieff Karen Moncrieff (born December 20, 1963, in Sacramento, California) is an American actress, director and screenwriter. She is best known as the writer and director of critically acclaimed movies '' Blue Car'' and ''The Dead Girl'' '. Movies ...

, '' Blue Car'' (Produced) * Michael A. Rich, '' Finding Forrester'' (Produced) 1997 Nicholl Fellows * Glen Craney, ''Whisper the Wind'' * Scott Ferraiolo, ''The Palace of Versailles'' * Anthony J. Jaswinski, ''Interstate'' * Karen Otoole, ''Wild Horses'' * Michele Sutter, ''This Place in the Ways'' 1996 Nicholl Fellows * Will Chandler, ''Cyrano of Linden View'' * Ehren Kruger, '' Arlington Road'' (Produced) * Carlton Proctor, ''Sommerville'' * Brian Teshera, ''...In a Heartbeat'' * Craig von Wiederhold, ''Dead Eyes'' 1995 Nicholl Fellows *

Richard Cray Richard Cray (born September 10, 1958) is an American actor and singer. Education A native of Kinston, North Carolina, Richard was chosen as a teenager to participate in a unique educational program called The "Governor's School of North Carol ...

, ''Love, Squid & Pavarotti'' * Scott Fifer, ''Starstruck'' * Patrick Gilfillan, ''G.U. (Geographically Undesirable)'' *

Robley Wilson Robley Wilson (June 15, 1930 – August 7, 2018) was an American poet, writer, and editor. Educated at Bowdoin College, B.A., 1957; Indiana University, graduate study, 1960; University of Iowa, M.F.A., 1968. Married Charlotte Lehon, August 20, 1 ...

, ''Land Fishers'' 1994 Nicholl Fellows *

Max D. Adams Max D. Adams is an American screenwriter and author. The winner of a Nicholl Fellowship in Screenwriting and an Austin Film Festival screenwriting award, Adams went on to be dubbed “Red Hot Adams” by Daily Variety. Career Adams has worked wit ...

, ''My Back Yard'' * Steve Garvin, ''Status Quo'' * Charles Henrich, ''Joshua Tree'' * Glenn Levin, ''Spano and the Kid'' 1993 Nicholl Fellows * Victoria Jennings Arch, ''A Terrible Beauty'' * Bob Bridges, ''Doniphan of the Americas'' * Myron E. Goble, '' Down in the Delta'' (Produced) * Jodi Ann Johnson, ''Mama & Me'' * Dawn O'Leary, ''Island of Brilliance'' (Produced) 1992 Nicholl Fellows *

Robert N. Cohen The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of '' Hruod'' ( non, Hróðr) "fame, glory, honou ...

, ''The Good Ole Boy'' * Susannah Grant, ''Island Girl'' *

Andrew W. Marlowe Andrew W. Marlowe (sometimes Andrew Marlowe) is an American screenwriter. Marlowe is best known for being the creator of, a executive producer of, and a writer on '' Castle'', a crime mystery and comedy-drama TV show, that ran on ABC from 200 ...

, ''The Lehigh Pirates'' * Terri Edda Miller, ''Bedwarmer'' *

Michelle Wollmers Michelle may refer to: People *Michelle (name), a given name and surname, the feminine form of Michael * Michelle Courtens, Dutch singer, performing as "Michelle" * Michelle (German singer) * Michelle (Scottish singer) (born 1980), Scottish wi ...

, ''Infidels'' 1991 Nicholl Fellows * Len Alaria, ''War Cry'' * Peter Crow, ''Trace'' * Raymond De Felitta, ''Begin the Beguine'' * Ronald Emmons, ''By Bread Alone'' * Brian Reich, ''Baubles'' 1990 Nicholl Fellows * David Gordon, ''Rocketman'' * Robert Gregory Browne, ''Low Tide'' * Kent Rizley, ''The Gentlemen'' * Thomas Smith, ''Slings and Arrows'' * Wanda Warner, ''Chief to Chief''

1986-1989

1989 Nicholl Fellows *

, ''

'' (Produced) *

Mark Lowenthal Mark M. Lowenthal (born September 5, 1948) is an author and Adjunct Professor at the Krieger School of Arts and Sciences at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, MD He has written five books and over 90 articles or studies on intelligence and nat ...

, ''Where the Elephant Sits'' (Produced) *

James McGlynn James is a common English language surname and given name: *James (name), the typically masculine first name James * James (surname), various people with the last name James James or James City may also refer to: People * King James (disambiguat ...

, ''

Traveller Traveler(s), traveller(s), The Traveler(s), or The Traveller(s) may refer to: People Generic terms *One engaged in travel *Explorer, one who searches for the purpose of discovery of information or resources *Nomad, a member of a community withou ...

'' (Produced) *

Deborah Pryor According to the Book of Judges, Deborah ( he, דְּבוֹרָה, ''Dəḇōrā'', " bee") was a prophetess of the God of the Israelites, the fourth Judge of pre-monarchic Israel and the only female judge mentioned in the Bible. Many scholars ...

, ''Briar Patch'' (Produced) * Laverne Stringer, ''The Cotton Gin Athletic Club'' 1988 Nicholl Fellows *No fellowships awarded 1987 Nicholl Fellows *

Christopher Bishop Christopher Michael Bishop (born 7 April 1959) is the Laboratory Director at Microsoft Research, Microsoft Research Cambridge, Honorary Professor of Computer Science at the University of Edinburgh and a Fellow of Darwin College, Cambridge. Bis ...

, ''Swampers'' *

Kevin Coffey Bartholomew Kevin Coffey (1933 – 6 December 1981) was an Irish Gaelic footballer. He played at club level with Clanna Gael in Dublin and at inter-county level with the Kerry senior football team. Career Coffey first came to Gaelic football ...

, ''Fadeaway'' * Sallie Groo, ''Daughters of Music'' *

Marie Angela Kellier Marie may refer to: People Name * Marie (given name) * Marie (Japanese given name) * Marie (murder victim), girl who was killed in Florida after being pushed in front of a moving vehicle in 1973 * Marie (died 1759), an enslaved Cree person in T ...

, ''Solita's Rise'' *

Randall McCormick Randall may refer to the following: Places United States *Randall, California, former name of White Hall, California, an unincorporated community *Randall, Indiana, a former town *Randall, Iowa, a city *Randall, Kansas, a city *Randall, Minnesota ...

, ''Giant Steps'' * Warren Taylor, ''In the Dark'' (Produced) *

Priscilla Waggoner Priscilla is an English female given name adopted from Latin ''Prisca'', derived from ''priscus''. One suggestion is that it is intended to bestow long life on the bearer. The name first appears in the New Testament of Christianity variously as ...

, ''Mother's Nature'' 1986 Nicholl Fellows * Allison Anders, ''Lost Highway'' * Dennis Clontz, ''Generations'' (play) * Jeff Eugenides, ''Here Comes Winston, Full of the Holy Spirit'' (fiction)

References

{{reflist

External links

Don and Gee Nicholl Fellowships in Screenwriting
via Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Scholarships in the United States Awards established in 1986 1986 establishments in the United States