The Writers Guild of America last night announced the winners of the 2017 Writers Guild Awards for outstanding achievement, honoring Moonlight with award for Original Screenplay and Command and Control with the award for Documentary Screenplay.
The WGAW presented several honorary awards during its ceremony: Oscar-nominated actor James Woods (Salvador, Nixon) presented the WGAW’s Laurel Award for Screenwriting Achievement to Academy Award and WGA-winning screenwriter-director Oliver Stone (Platoon, Born on the Fourth of July, JFK); Emmy-winning The Newsroom star Jeff Daniels presented the Paddy Chayefsky Laurel Award for Television Writing Achievement to Oscar and WGA-winning The Social Network screenwriter and The West Wing / The Newsroom Creator Aaron Sorkin; Emmy-nominated actress Kerry Washington (Confirmation, Scandal) presented the Paul Selvin Award to screenwriter Susannah Grant (Erin Brockovich) for her script for the HBO telefilm, Confirmation, which embodies “the spirit of constitutional rights and civil liberties which are indispensable to the survival of free writers everywhere;” actor Jeff Goldblum (Independence Day: Resurgence, Jurassic Park) presented the Valentine Davies Award to acclaimed screenwriter-director Richard Curtis (Love Actually, Four Weddings and a Funeral, Bridget Jones’s Diary) for his humanitarian service and charitable efforts around the globe; Emmy-winning and Oscar-nominated actress Shohreh Aghdashloo (The Expanse) presented the Jean Renoir Award for International Screenwriting Achievement to late Iranian filmmaker Abbas Kiarostami (Taste of Cherry, The Wind Will Carry Us, Certified Copy), whose son Ahmad Kiarostami accepted on his behalf; and writer Howard Michael Gould (Instant Mom) presented the Morgan Cox Award to Emmy-nominated M*A*S*H writer and past WGAW Board of Directors member Dan Wilcox for his Guild service.
2017 Writers Guild Awards Winners
FILM WINNERS
ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Moonlight, Screenplay by Barry Jenkins, Story by Tarell Alvin McCraney; A24
ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Arrival, Screenplay by Eric Heisserer; Based on the Story “Story of Your Life” by Ted Chiang; Paramount Pictures
DOCUMENTARY SCREENPLAY
Command and Control, Telescript by Robert Kenner & Eric Schlosser, Story by Brian Pearle and Kim Roberts; Based on the book Command and Control by Eric Schlosser; American Experience Films