October 17, 2003
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Leslie Unger - (310) 247-3000
                        lunger@oscars.org

Beverly Hills, CA - Ten scripts have been selected as finalists for the 2003 Don and Gee Nicholl Fellowships in Screenwriting, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. The scripts will now be read and judged by the Nicholl Committee, which may award as many as five of the prestigious $30,000 fellowships.

This year's finalists are (listed alphabetically by script title):

"Augmentation;" Andrea R. Herman; Roswell, Georgia
"The Blessed Fellowship;" Michele Hackman; Waterloo, Iowa
"The Bone Orchard;" Ronson Page; Dallas, Texas
"Courting Destiny;" Bennett M. Cohen; San Francisco, California
"Linda and Henry;" Tejal K. Desai and Brian Wray; Middletown, Connecticut and Brooklyn, New York, respectively
"The Nihilist, the Bag and the Rock 'n Roll Launderette;" Brian M. Logan; Lane Cove, New South Wales, Australia
"Random Thoughts on Self-Destruction;" Ryan M. Smith; Milford, Ohio
"Revival;" Annie Reid; Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
"Season of the Witch;" Bragi F. Schut Jr.; Los Angeles, California
"Trucker;" James N. Mottern; Los Angeles

This is the first time that a script written collaboratively has made it to the finalist round; collaborative efforts were first allowed into the competition in 2001. This year also marks the first time an entry from Australia has become a finalist, and it is the first time that the finalist group includes scripts from more than one country outside the United States (Australia and Canada).

The finalists were selected from a record 6,048 scripts submitted for this year's competition. 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.

These ten scripts will now be judged by the Nicholl Committee, chaired by writer Fay Kanin and comprised of writers John Gay, Susannah Grant, Hal Kanter, Dan Petrie Jr., Tom Rickman and Steven Zaillian, cinematographer John Bailey, editor Mia Goldman, actor Eva Marie Saint, producers David Nicksay and Buffy Shutt, and agent Ronald Mardigian.

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.

Since the program's inception in 1985, a total of 78 fellowships have been presented and there are numerous success stories among the fellows. Most recently, Mike Rich, a 1998 Fellow, wrote "Radio," which is scheduled for release this month. His Nicholl entry script, "Finding Forrester," was released in 2000. Fellow Karen Moncrieff (1998) directed her Nicholl script, "Blue Car," released in 2003.

Two other competition-winning scripts are currently in production: "Mean Creek," written by Jacob Estes, a 1998 Fellow, and "Island of Brilliance," Dawn O'Leary's 1993 entry. Ehren Kruger (1996) wrote "The Ring," released in 2002; his other credits include "Reindeer Games" and "Arlington Road." Allison Anders (1986 Fellow) co-wrote and directed "Things behind the Sun," which premiered at the 2001 Sundance Film Festival, as well as "Gas Food Lodging." Grant, a 1992 Fellow who joined the Nicholl committee in 2001, received an Academy Award^® nomination in 2000 for her "Erin Brockovich" screenplay. Also in 2000, Raymond De Felitta (1991) directed his fellowship-year script, "Two Family House," which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and was released later that year; Andrew W. Marlowe (1992) wrote "Air Force One" and "Hollow Man."