Motion Picture Academy Honors Screenwriting Talents

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences honored six screenwriting prospects at a prestigious dinner in L.A. Thursday night, and the man who wrote one of George Clooney 's best-known flicks was the evening's keynote speaker! Frank Scott , the Oscar nominated scribe behind Clooney and J. Lo 's 'Out of Sight,' spoke at the dinner honoring the six winners of the 23rd Don and Gee Nicholl Fellowships in Screenwriting, presented by the Academy. Movie legend Eva Marie Saint ('North by Northwest,' 'On the Waterfront') served as one of the competition’s judges. Winners received the first installment of their $30,000 prize, and each must now complete a screenplay within the fellowship year. The victors were selected from 5,224 scripts submitted for this year's competition. (link)