The Writers Guild Awards 2023 were held on Sunday (March 5), and it was full of great moments. We’ve rounded up the top moments from the ceremony.
“Women Talking” earned Sarah Polley the prestigious Best Adapted Screenplay Award, while Spike Lee was honored with the Ian McLellan Hunter Award for his remarkable Career Achievement. The WGA Awards were also given to writers from television, new media, video games, news and radio.
Sarah Polley Takes Home the Best Adapted Screenplay Award for “Women Talking”
Women Talking, adapted from Miriam Toews’ novel of the same name, portrays the struggles of a religious community in a remote setting as they confront the challenge of reconciling a harsh reality with their faith. Starring Rooney Mara, Claire Foy, Jessie Buckley, and Judith Ivey, it’s a compelling and inspiring story that’s sure to earn the Best Picture nomination at next week’s Academy Awards.
“Women Talking” won the Best Adapted Screenplay award at the WGA Awards 2023, which took place on Sunday night. The Writers Guild of America handed out its trophies in dual ceremonies in Los Angeles and New York, hosted by Janelle James (in LA) and Michelle Buteau (in NY).
Spike Lee Receives the Ian McLellan Hunter Award for Career Achievement
Spike Lee, the acclaimed writer-director behind BlacKkKlansman, has been honored with the Writers Guild of America, East’s prestigious Ian McLellan Hunter Award for Career Achievement. This award recognizes his significant contributions to film and TV, delving into timely issues and social concerns through his storytelling.
Lee’s filmography delves into various critical subjects, including racial relations, the black community, media, urban crime, and poverty. As a result, his work has earned him numerous awards and accolades.
His films, including She’s Gotta Have It, Do the Right Thing, Malcolm X, 4 Little Girls, and Bamboozled, have been recognized by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences as “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.” In recognition of their lasting significance, the Library of Congress has chosen these remarkable films for preservation in the National Film Registry.
Severance Takes Home the Best New Series Award
Apple TV+’s critically acclaimed drama series Severance took home two awards at the WGA Awards 2023: Best New Series and Best Drama Series. The sci-fi psychological thriller stars Adam Scott as Mark, an employee of Lumon Industries who agrees to a “severance” program that separates his non-work memories from his work ones.
The show also won for its adapted screenplay, helmed by Sarah Polley. This was her third major writing win at the 75th Writers Guild of America awards.
Other notable wins at the event included FX’s The Bear, which won Best Comedy Series and beat out last year’s Emmy winner “Abbott Elementary.” HBO’s The White Lotus was awarded a Limited Series prize, while Last Week Tonight with John Oliver took home the Comedy Variety Talk Series award.
The Bear Takes Home the Best Comedy Series Award
The Writers Guild of America Awards took place in simultaneous ceremonies on both coasts this evening, honoring outstanding writing in film, television, new media, news, radio/audio and promotional writing. In Los Angeles, Sarah Polley took home the Best Adapted Screenplay Award for her work on “Women Talking.”
The Bear was also honored with the Best Comedy Series award. It beat out a handful of Emmy nominees like Andor, Hacks and Better Call Saul.
The Directors Guild of America, which handed out its trophies Sunday night in Los Angeles and New York City, has traditionally been one of the more reliable bellwethers to predict the Oscar winner for Best Director. In the past 20 instances, 17 DGA Award winners eventually secured the Oscar for their exceptional work.
Everything Everywhere All at Once Takes Home the Best Original Screenplay Award
The Writers Guild of America unveiled the winners of its esteemed awards on Sunday through simultaneous ceremonies held in both New York and Los Angeles. The event celebrated the best scripted content in film, television and radio.
“The Daniels,” also known as Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, were honored with the award for Best Original Screenplay for their imaginative film, “Everything Everywhere All at Once.” The film has been on a tear throughout the award season, winning several major guild prizes and already racking up 11 Oscar nominations, making it the clear favorite for Sunday’s ceremony.
In addition to the WGA win, the film also took home the ensemble prize at last weekend’s SAG Awards. Starring Michelle Yeoh as a Chinese-American immigrant, the film follows her journey to connect with alternate versions of herself in parallel universes, all in a bid to thwart a formidable being’s plan of annihilating the multiverse. The film also earned the PGA and DGA awards, as well as several Critics Choice and Spirit Award nominations.
