'Grand Budapest,' 'Imitauin Game' top Writers Guild Awards
LOS ANGELES—In an awards season dominated by Boyhood and Birdman, the Writers Guild of America on Saturday honored two different choices with their top film awards: The Grand Budapest Hotel and The
Imitation Game. Awards were presented in simultaneous ceremonies in New York and Los Angeles.
In the original screenplay category, Richard Linklater’s Boyhood lost out to Wes Anderson and Hugo Guinness for their darkly whimsical, candy-colored fable, The Grand Budapest Hotel.
Other nominees in the category included Whiplash, written by director Damien Chazelle, Nightcrawler, written by director Dan Gilroy, and Foxcatcher, written by E. Max Frye and Dan Futterman.
Anderson and Guinness recently picked up the BAFTA for best screenplay as well and are considered favorites to win the Academy Award.
Birdman was not eligible for the WGA award, but it will be competing with Grand Budapest in the original screenplay category for the Oscars on Feb. 22.
In the adapted screenplay category, Graham Moore took the prize for the World War II-set Alan Turing biopic The Imitation Game, adapted from Andrew Hodges’ book Alan Turing: The Enigma.
Moore’s work won over adapted screenplay nominees American Sniper, Gone Girl, Guardians of the Galaxy and Wild.
The Theory of Everything, which was not eligible for the WGA, won the adapted screenplay BAFTA over The Imitation Game. Both will be competing for the Oscar against American Sniper, Inherent Vice and Whiplash.
In addition to film, video games, radio, news, and new media, the Writers Guild also honors television work.
True Detective writer and creator Nic Pizzolatto took the award for best drama series and best new series. Louis CK won best comedy series and episodic comedy for his show Louie.
In the comedy/variety category, Last Week Tonight with John Oliver won for series and the 71st Annual Golden Globe Awards for specials.