"Social Network" writer Aaron Sorkin took the
award for best adapted screenplay from the group that represents US film and
television writers and "Inception" creator Christopher Nolan was
named best writer of an original script.
Awards from Hollywood's professional guilds often provide
hints about which films and filmmakers will compete for Oscars, the world's top
film awards, given out by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences on
Feb. 27, because many members of the guilds also belong to the academy.
While that is certainly true in the category for best
adapted screenplay, where Sorkin and "Social Network" are tipped to
win, the other Oscar front-runner, royals drama "The King's Speech,"
was not nominated for the Writers Guild award for best original screenplay.
Accepting his trophy, Nolan gave a nod to the absence of
"The King's Speech," which is leading the Oscar race with 12
nominations but was ineligible for the WGA award because the production was
made outside WGA guidelines.
Nolan noted he was "heartbroken" nine years ago
when he failed to earn a nomination for his screenplay for "Memento"
because it too was outside WGA guidelines. He indicated his award on Saturday
night would have been more meaningful had "certain screenplays" been
nominated.
He did not name "The King's Speech" by name,
however, "for fear of boosting their chances at any other awards,"
Nolan said to a knowing audience. "King's Speech" did receive an
Oscar nomination for best original screenplay.
Nolan said his was "one man's opinion," adding,
"This is an incredible honor to me." Sorkin's script detailing the
creation of the social networking site in a Harvard dormitory room in the early
2000s, took top prize for adapted screenplay, and he gave a nod to the movie's
director, David Fincher.
"I wrote a good screenplay, but David Fincher made a
great movie," Sorkin said.
Along with "King's Speech," "Social
Network" is the other front-runner for the best movie Oscar. Sorkin is
widely considered the favorite for best adapted screenplay having won several
early critics' awards and now the WGA honor.
In the documentary category, writer/director Charles
Ferguson took the prize for best writing of a nonfiction film for "Inside
Job." More winners can be found at http://www.wga.org.
The Writers Guild also gives awards in TV categories, and
the top two honors in that arena went to "Mad Men" for best TV drama
series writing and "Modern Family" for top TV comedy series.
