April 5,  2001

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT:  Leslie Unger - (310) 247-3000

                         lunger@oscars.org

Beverly Hills, CA - The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences' annual Don and Gee Nicholl Fellowships in Screenwriting program is underway and applications are now available. As many as five $30,000 fellowships will be awarded through the program later this year, an increase from last year's fellowship amount of $25,000.

The competition is open to any individual who has not sold or optioned a screenplay or teleplay for more than $5,000 or received a fellowship or prize that includes a "first look" clause, an option, or any other quid pro quo involving the writer's work. To enter, writers must submit a completed application form, one copy of their original screenplay, in English, and an entry fee of US$30. Entries must be postmarked no later than May 1, 2001.

Fellowships are awarded with the understanding that the recipients will each complete a feature-length screenplay during the fellowship year. The Academy acquires no rights to the works of Nicholl fellows and does not involve itself commercially in any way with their completed scripts.

Last year's competition drew 4,250 entries. Since the program's inception in 1985, a total of 68 fellowships have been presented and there are numerous success stories among the fellows. Most recently, Susannah Grant, a 1992 Fellow, received an Academy Award nomination for her "Erin Brockovich" screenplay. Allison Anders (1986 Fellow) co-wrote and directed "Things behind the Sun," which premiered at the 2001 Sundance Film Festival, and Gabrielle Burton (2000 Fellow) wrote "Manna from Heaven," which premiered at the 2001 South By Southwest Film Festival. During the last year, Raymond De Felitta (1991) directed his Fellowship-year script, "Two Family House," which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and was released theatrically in October; Ehren Kruger (1996) wrote "Reindeer Games" and "Scream 3," Andrew W. Marlowe (1992) wrote "Hollow Man;" and Randall McCormick (1987) received co-story credit on "Titan A.E." Mike Rich's 1998 Nicholl entry script, "Finding Forrester," directed by Gus Van Sant and starring Sean Connery, was also released in 2000. Numerous other winners have sold their Nicholl entry screenplays and other work.

Additional information about the Nicholl Fellowships can be found at the Academy's Web site. The address is <www.oscars.org/nicholl>. The site also has a down-loadable version of the competition application form. Interested parties who do not have access to the Internet can receive entry rules and an application form by sending a business-size (#10), self-addressed, stamped envelope to:

The Nicholl Fellowships
Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
8949 Wilshire Blvd.
Beverly Hills, CA 90211-1972