Variety released this year’s list of 10 screenwriters to watch, and a conversation with the winners will be hosted virtually by the Mill Valley Film Festival on October 13.
The annual 10 to Watch program celebrates groundbreaking writers, actors, directors, comedians, animators, producers and filmmakers, and registration for the virtual conversation with the selected writers of 2020 is available now. Many of this year’s winners have already received awards for their films. Variety Editor Steven Gaydos called the 2020 selections “emblematic of what filmmakers need in this volatile and difficult time.” These writers tackle the big issues facing the world, but they also make sure their stories are grounded in empathy for their very diverse and wildly original characters.
The class of 2020’s 10 screenwriters to watch includes eight solo winners and two pairs serving as screenwriters for their respective films. Interviews with the 2020 honorees will be featured in the October 7 issue of Variety.
While previous celebrations have taken place in person, this year’s will be virtual. It will also feature a panel discussion with the winners, who will participate in a videoconference from various locations.
The Mill Valley Film Festival, founded in 1977, also hosted the 2019 reception of 10 screenwriters to watch. For the previous seven years, the event was hosted by the Whistler Film Festival.
Last year’s list of screenwriters included Shia LaBeouf (“Honey Boy”) and Krysty Wilson-Cairns (“1917”), while previous years saw Charlie Kaufman (“Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind”), Jennifer Lee (“Frozen”) and Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci (“Star Trek”) in the ranks.
VarietyThe 2020 class of 10 screenwriters to watch is listed below.
Tracey Deer and Meredith Vuchnich, “Beans”
Clare Dunne, “Herself”
Shaka King and Will Berson, “Judas and the Black Messiah”
Viggo Mortensen, “Fall”
Andy Siara, “Palm Springs”
Kemp Powers, “One Night in Miami”
Emma Seligman, “Baby Shiva”
Kata Weber, “Pieces of a Woman”
Rémi Weekes, “His house”
Tracey Scott Wilson, “Respect” (2021)