One of the more revealing moments of the 2023 Spirit Awards on Saturday afternoon was the very warm standing ovation Sarah Polley and the cast of “Women Talking” received. The film was honored with the Robert Altman Award which is given to the director, cast and its casting director (in this case Polley’s brother John Buchan along with Jason Knight). But despite the film receiving an Oscar nomination for Best Picture and Adapted Screenplay, the United Artists drama had someone faded this awards season outside of an embarrassing moment at last weekend’s SAG Awards where Mark Wahlberg referred to it as “Women Are Talking.” That being said, the reaction from the audience at the Spirits was a sign of genuine respect from Polley’s peers. That love continued later Saturday night at the 35th USC Scripter Awards.
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In an honor given to the original author and screenwriter, “Women Talking” won the film prize over notable works from “Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio,” “She Said” and “Living.” The fifth nominee, “Top Gun: Maverick,” withdrew its consideration in an underreported move for a film with one of the most bizarre yet seemingly successful award season campaigns in recent memory. The award was presented to Polley and novelist Miriam Towes.
Polley will now head to the Academy Awards with a shot at taking the Adapted Screenplay prize in a field that includes the aforementioned “Top Gun: Maverick” and “Living” as well as “Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery” and perceived frontrunner, “All Quiet on the Western Front.” If she can pull off that win, it would be a lovely ending for a film that debuted to acclaim at the Telluride Film Festival almost six months ago.
On the television side, Will Smith and author Mick Herron won for the “Failure’s Contagious” episode of the Apple TV+ limited series “Slow Horses.” Other nominees in that category included “The Crown,” “Fleishman Is in Trouble,” “Tokyo Vice” and “Under the Banner of heaven.”
Selected by a committee of industry professionals, this was the first in-person ceremony for the USC Scripter Award since January 2020.
Adapted ScreenplaySlow HorsesUSC Scripter AwardsWomen TalkingAbout The Author