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The Don and Gee Nicholl Fellowships in Screenwriting is a fellowship program founded in 1986 to aid screenwriters. It is administered by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
Gee Nicholl, widow of producer Don Nicholl, worked with Julian Blaustein 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 wrote the first screenplay made into a film, the 1991 drama Closet Land. Clontz won a Pulitzer Prize 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.[1]
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, Blair Underwood, Vince Vaughn, and Anton Yelchin.
As of the 2013 contest, 17 winning scripts have later been produced.[2]
2020–present
2022 Nicholl Fellows[3]
- 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[4]
- 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[5]
- 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[6]
- 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[7]
- Allison Buckmelter and Nicolas Buckmelter, American Refugee (Produced)[8]
- Joey Clarke, Jr., Miles
- Grace Sherman, Numbers and Words
- Wenonah Wilms, Horsehead Girls
2017 Nicholl Fellows[9]
- 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[10]
- 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, Addis Abeka
- Andrew Friedhof, Great Falls
- Anthony Grieco, Best Sellers (Produced)
- Elizabeth Chomko, What They Had (Produced)
- Sam Regnier, Free Agent
2014 Nicholl Fellows[11]
- 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[12]
- Frank DeJohn & David Alton Hedges, Legion
- Patty Jones, Joe Banks
- Alan Roth, Jersey City Story
- Stephanie Shannon, Queen of Hearts
- Barbara Stepansky, Sugar in My Veins
- Nikole Beckwith, Stockholm, Pennsylvania (Produced)
- Sean Robert Daniels, Killers
- James DiLapo, Devils at Play
- Allan Durand, Willie Francis Must Die Again
- Michael Werwie, Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile (Produced)
2011 Nicholl Fellows[12]
- 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[12]
- Destin Daniel Cretton, Short Term 12 (Produced)[2]
- Marvin Krueger, 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[12]
- Matt Ackley, Victoria Falls
- Vineet Dewan and Angus Fletcher, Sand Dogs
- John Griffin, Dream Before Waking
- Nidhi Anna Verghese, Jallianwala Bagh
- Jeff Williams, Pure
2008 Nicholl Fellows[12]
- Jeremy Bandow, Hive
- Ken Kristensen & Colin Marshall, Out of Breath
- Jason A. Micallef, Butter (Produced)[2]
- Eric Nazarian, Giants
- Lee Patterson, Snatched
2007 Nicholl Fellows[12]
- Amy Garcia & Cecilia Contreras, Amelia Earhart and the Bologna Rainbow Highway
- Michael L. Hare, The Fly Fisher
- Sidney King, Kalona
- David Mango, Kissing a Suicide Bomber
- Andrew Shearer & Nicholas J. Sherman, Holy Irresistible
- Alfred E. Carpenter & Mark A. Matusof, 38 Mercury
- Arthur M. Jolly, The Free Republic of Bobistan
- Stephanie Lord, Palau Rain
- Josh D. Schorr, 10 Day Contract
- Scott K. Simonsen, Tides of Summer
2005 Nicholl Fellows[12]
- Morgan Read-Davidson, The Days Between
- Seth Resnik & Ron Moskovitz, Fire in a Coal Mine
- Michael D. Zungolo, No Country
- Colleen Cooper De Maio, Pirates of Lesser Providence
- Gian Marco Masoni, Ring of Fire
2004 Nicholl Fellows[12]
- 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[12]
- Andrea R. Herman, Augmentation
- Tejal K. Desai & Brian C. Wray, Linda and Henry
- Annie Reid, Revival
- Bragi Schut Jr., Season of the Witch (Produced)[2]
- James N. Mottern, Trucker (Produced)[2]
2002 Nicholl Fellows[12]
- John Ciarlo, Bend in the River
- Matt Harris, Moon of Popping Trees (Produced as Dead for a Dollar)[15]
- Pamela Kay, Nude and Naked
- Kurt Kuenne, Mason Mule
- Creighton Rothenberger, The Chosin
2001 Nicholl Fellows[12]
- Patricia Burroughs, Redemption
- Greg M. Dawless, One Hour Development
- Robert S. Edwards, Land of the Blind (Produced)[2]
- Albert Letizia, The Northern Lights
- Cameron B. Young, Saint Vincent
2000 Nicholl Fellows[12]
- Doug Atchison, Akeelah and the Bee (Produced)[2]
- Alfredo Botello, The Crasher
- Gabrielle Burton, The Imperial Waltz
- Christine R. Downs, Victory Road
- James M. Foley, Powder River Breakdown
1990-1999
1999 Nicholl Fellows[12]
- Chris E. Balibrera, Harvest
- T. J. Lynch, The Beginning of Wisdom
- Annmarie E. Morais, Bleeding
- Jaime David Silverman, Last Meals
- Rebecca A. Sonnenshine, Mermaid Dreams
1998 Nicholl Fellows[12]
- Jacob A. Estes, Mean Creek (Produced)[2]
- Robert H. Gyde, Jelly-Babies
- Donna McNeely, Julia's Child
- Karen M. Moncrieff, Blue Car (Produced)[2]
- Michael A. Rich, Finding Forrester (Produced)[2]
1997 Nicholl Fellows[12]
- 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[12]
- Will Chandler, Cyrano of Linden View
- Ehren Kruger, Arlington Road (Produced)[2]
- Carlton Proctor, Sommerville
- Brian Teshera, ...In a Heartbeat
- Craig von Wiederhold, Dead Eyes
1995 Nicholl Fellows[12]
- Richard Cray, Love, Squid & Pavarotti
- Scott Fifer, Starstruck
- Patrick Gilfillan, G.U. (Geographically Undesirable)
- Robley Wilson, Land Fishers
1994 Nicholl Fellows[12]
- Max D. Adams, My Back Yard
- Steve Garvin, Status Quo
- Charles Henrich, Joshua Tree
- Glenn Levin, Spano and the Kid
1993 Nicholl Fellows[12]
- Victoria Jennings Arch, A Terrible Beauty
- Bob Bridges, Doniphan of the Americas
- Myron E. Goble, Down in the Delta (Produced)[2]
- Jodi Ann Johnson, Mama & Me
- Dawn O'Leary, Island of Brilliance (Produced)[2]
1992 Nicholl Fellows[12]
- Robert N. Cohen, The Good Ole Boy
- Susannah Grant, Island Girl
- Andrew W. Marlowe, The Lehigh Pirates
- Terri Edda Miller, Bedwarmer
- Michelle Wollmers, Infidels
1991 Nicholl Fellows[12]
- Len Alaria, War Cry
- Peter Crow, Trace
- Raymond De Felitta, Begin the Beguine
- Ronald Emmons, By Bread Alone
- Brian Reich, Baubles
1990 Nicholl Fellows[12]
- 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[12]
- Radha Bharadwaj, Closet Land (Produced)[2]
- Mark Lowenthal, Where the Elephant Sits (Produced)[2]
- James McGlynn, Traveller (Produced)[2]
- Deborah Pryor, Briar Patch (Produced)[2]
- Laverne Stringer, The Cotton Gin Athletic Club
1988 Nicholl Fellows[12]
- No fellowships awarded
1987 Nicholl Fellows[12]
- Christopher Bishop, Swampers
- Kevin Coffey, Fadeaway
- Sallie Groo, Daughters of Music
- Marie Angela Kellier, Solita's Rise
- Randall McCormick, Giant Steps
- Warren Taylor, In the Dark (Produced)[2]
- Priscilla Waggoner, Mother's Nature
1986 Nicholl Fellows[12]
- Allison Anders, Lost Highway
- Dennis Clontz, Generations (play)
- Jeff Eugenides, Here Comes Winston, Full of the Holy Spirit (fiction)
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