The 38th USC Libraries Scripter Awards took place on March 2, 2024, honoring outstanding achievements in screenwriting. The prestigious event recognized the talents behind Paul Thomas Anderson’s film One Battle After Another and the Netflix limited series Death By Lightning. The awards celebrate both the original authors and the screenwriters of adapted works, highlighting the collaborative nature of storytelling in film and television.
Anderson and original author Thomas Pynchon received accolades for their work on One Battle After Another, a complex crime drama inspired by Pynchon’s 1990 novel. This recognition adds to the film’s accolades, having already achieved wins at the Golden Globes and Critics Choice Awards, along with a notable thirteen nominations at the Oscars. Anderson and Pynchon were previously nominated for a USC Scripter Award in 2014 for their collaboration on Inherent Vice, based on Pynchon’s 2009 novel.
Highlights from the Night
The script for One Battle After Another triumphed over strong contenders, including scripts from Frankenstein, Hamnet, Peter Hujar’s Day, and Train Dreams. In the episodic series category, screenwriter Mike Makowsky and author Candice Millard won for Death By Lightning, which draws from Millard’s nonfiction book, Destiny of the Republic: A Tale of Madness, Medicine, and the Murder of a President. The four-episode series focuses on the historical events leading to the assassination of President James Garfield, portrayed by Michael Shannon, at the hands of Charles Guiteau, played by Matthew Macfadyen.
The ceremony, a black-tie event, took place at the university’s Town and Gown ballroom and was emceed by Melissa Just, Dean of USC Libraries. During the evening, renowned crime writer Michael Connelly received the USC Libraries Scripter Literary Achievement Award. His iconic character, police detective Harry Bosch, was portrayed by Titus Welliver in the Amazon Prime series Bosch and its spin-offs.
As the entertainment industry continues to evolve, the USC Scripter Awards remain a vital platform for recognizing the artistry involved in adapting literature into compelling screen narratives. The achievements celebrated this year underscore the importance of both original storytelling and screenwriting in the modern cinematic landscape.
