Geoffrey S. Fletcher

Last updated

Geoffrey S. Fletcher
GSFWiki.jpg
Born
Geoffrey Shawn Fletcher

(1970-10-04) October 4, 1970 (age 53)
Education
Occupation(s)Screenwriter, film director

Geoffrey Shawn Fletcher (born October 4, 1970) is an American screenwriter and film director. Fletcher is best known for being the screenwriter of Precious , for which he received the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay, becoming the first African American to receive an Academy Award for writing. [1] In September 2010, Fletcher began shooting Violet & Daisy in New York City based on his original script as his directorial debut. [2] It was released in a limited theatrical run in June 2013.

Contents

Early life

Fletcher was born in New London, Connecticut, one of three children of Alphonse Fletcher, Sr. and Bettye R. Fletcher. Alphonse Fletcher, Jr. and Todd Fletcher are his brothers. Fletcher attended Waterford High School in Waterford, Connecticut prior to completing his secondary education at Choate Rosemary Hall. Fletcher graduated from Harvard College where he concentrated in psychology and from NYU's Tisch School where he earned a Master of Fine Arts. His student film Magic Markers, which he wrote and directed, was shown at festivals [3] and caught the attention of director John Singleton. [4]

Career

Fletcher at the 2010 Tribeca Film Festival. Geoffrey Fletcher by David Shankbone.jpg
Fletcher at the 2010 Tribeca Film Festival.

Fletcher worked in a variety of temporary staff positions for years as he wrote and directed his own films. Eventually he was appointed an adjunct professor at Tisch and also at Columbia. In 2006, producer Lee Daniels viewed Magic Markers and asked Fletcher to adapt the book Push by Sapphire which became the film Precious. [4] Daniels, well known to be "passionately dedicated" to artists "serious about their craft," [5] considered several writers before choosing Fletcher according to a Variety article that included Fletcher among the "Ten Screenwriters to Watch." [6] Fletcher is represented by his agents Bill Weinstein, Nicky Mohebbi, and Manal Hamad of Verve and by the law firm of Gang, Tyre, Ramer, and Brown.

On February 16, 2010, director Doug Liman and Fletcher announced that they would be collaborating on a film re-creation of the 1971 Attica state prison rebellion. [7] Fletcher said in a statement "Working with a remarkable director in Doug Liman whose family history binds him personally to this project, I hope to create opportunities for re-examination of this dramatic crossroad in our nation's history while contributing to the current dialogue on the value of protecting everyone's rights." [8] [9]

Filmography

YearTitleDirectorWriterProducer
2009 Precious NoYesNo
2011 Violet & Daisy YesYesYes
2018 Trial by Fire NoYesNo

Recognition

Screenwriting awards for Precious

Screenwriting nominations for Precious

Awards and Festivals for Magic Markers

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay</span> Category of film award

The Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay is the Academy Award for the best screenplay adapted from previously established material. The most frequently adapted media are novels, but other adapted narrative formats include stage plays, musicals, short stories, TV series, and even other films and film characters. All sequels are also considered adaptations by this standard.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James Ivory</span> American film director (born 1928)

James Francis Ivory is an American film director, producer, and screenwriter. For many years, he worked extensively with Indian-born film producer Ismail Merchant, his domestic as well as professional partner, and with screenwriter Ruth Prawer Jhabvala. All three were principals in Merchant Ivory Productions, whose films have won seven Academy Awards; Ivory himself has been nominated for four Oscars, winning one.

Sheldon Turner is a screenwriter and producer. His produced credits as a screenwriter include The Longest Yard (2005), The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning (2006), Up in the Air (2009) and X-Men: First Class (2011). He is an alum of Cornell University in Ithaca, NY.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Neill Blomkamp</span> South African-Canadian filmmaker (born 1979)

Neill Blomkamp is a South African and Canadian film director, screenwriter and producer. He is best known as the co-writer and director of the science fiction action film District 9 (2009), for which he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay, and the director of the dystopian science fiction action film Elysium (2013), which garnered moderately positive reviews. He also directed the science fiction action film Chappie (2015) and the sports drama film Gran Turismo (2023), based on the eponymous video game series.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michael Arndt</span> American screenwriter

Michael Arndt is an American screenwriter. He is best known as the writer of the films Little Miss Sunshine (2006), Toy Story 3 (2010), and Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bo Goldman</span> American screenwriter (1932–2023)

Bo Goldman was an American screenwriter and playwright. He received numerous accolades including two Academy Awards, two Golden Globe Awards, two Writers Guild of America Awards as well as the Lifetime Achievement Award in 1998. He also received two BAFTA Award nominations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">African-American Film Critics Association</span>

The African-American Film Critics Association (AAFCA) is the world's largest group of Black film critics that gives various annual awards for excellence in film and television. It was founded in 2003 in New York City. In 2023 Variety stated that since it started, "the organization’s purpose was clear: to amplify Black voices in film criticism and arts entertainment journalism from across the African Diaspora."

Nick Hern Books is a London-based independent specialist publisher of plays, theatre books and screenplays. The company was founded by the former Methuen drama editor Nicholas Hern in 1988.

Hossein Amini is an Iranian-born British screenwriter and film director. Amini has worked as a screenwriter since the early 1990s. He was nominated for numerous awards for the 1997 film The Wings of the Dove, including an Academy Award for Best Writing – Adapted Screenplay. He also won a "Best Adapted Screenplay" award from the Austin Film Critics Association for his screenplay adaptation of Nicolas Winding Refn's Drive (2011), based on the novel by James Sallis. For his directorial debut, he both wrote and directed The Two Faces of January, an adaptation of the Patricia Highsmith novel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mark Boal</span> American screenwriter (born 1973)

Mark Boal is an American journalist, screenwriter, and film producer. Boal initially worked as a journalist, writing for outlets like Rolling Stone, The Village Voice, Salon, and Playboy. Boal's 2004 article "Death and Dishonor" was adapted for the film In the Valley of Elah, which Boal also co-wrote.

<i>Precious</i> (film) 2009 film by Lee Daniels

Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire, or simply Precious, is a 2009 American drama film, directed and co-produced by Lee Daniels. Its script was written by Geoffrey S. Fletcher, adapted from the 1996 novel Push by Sapphire. The film stars Gabourey Sidibe and Mo'Nique, alongside Paula Patton, Mariah Carey, Sherri Shepherd, and Lenny Kravitz. This marked the acting debut of Sidibe, who portrays a young woman struggling against poverty and abuse. Filming took place in New York City from October to November 2007.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Harriet Frank Jr.</span> American screenwriter and producer (1923–2020)

Harriet Frank Jr. was an American screenwriter and producer. Working with her husband Irving Ravetch, Frank received many awards during her career, including the New York Film Critics Circle Awards and the Writers Guild of America Award, and several nominations.

This article lists the winners and nominees for the Black Reel Award for Outstanding Screenplay, Adapted or Original. Geoffrey Fletcher and John Ridley are the only Black Reel Award Screenwriting winners to win Oscars for Best Adapted Screenplay.

The 8th Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association Awards were given on December 7, 2009.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scott Neustadter</span> American screenwriter and film producer

Scott Eric Neustadter is an American screenwriter and producer. He often works with his writing partner, Michael H. Weber. The two writers are best known for writing the screenplay for the romantic comedy film 500 Days of Summer. The film is based on two real relationships Neustadter had. They also wrote the screenplays for the film adaptations of the novels The Spectacular Now, The Fault in Our Stars, and Paper Towns.

Michael H. Weber is an American screenwriter and producer. He and his writing partner, Scott Neustadter, are best known for writing the screenplay for the romantic comedy film 500 Days of Summer. The film is based on two real relationships Neustadter had. They also wrote the screenplays for the film adaptations of the novels The Spectacular Now, The Fault in Our Stars, and Paper Towns.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Graham Moore (writer)</span> American screenwriter and author (born 1981)

Graham Moore is an American screenwriter, author and director known for his 2010 novel The Sherlockian, as well as his screenplay for the historical film The Imitation Game, which topped the 2011 Black List for screenplays and won the 2014 Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kemp Powers</span> American writer (born 1973)

Kemp Powers is an American playwright, screenwriter, and director. He is best known for his play One Night in Miami and the 2020 film adaptation of the same name, as well as for co-directing the animated films Soul (2020) and Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (2023). His screenplay for One Night in Miami... earned him a Best Adapted Screenplay nomination at the 93rd Academy Awards, while his work on Soul made him the first African-American to co-direct a Disney animated feature.

References

  1. "Nominees for the 82nd Academy Awards". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Archived from the original on February 4, 2010. Retrieved February 2, 2010.
  2. "Alexis Bledel in Violet and Daisy with Saoirse Ronan". celebriFi. Archived from the original on January 30, 2016. Retrieved October 23, 2010.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  3. 1 2 "Magic Markers Film Information". Variety . Retrieved February 2, 2010.
  4. 1 2 Horn, John (November 29, 2009). "Geoffrey Fletcher Pulls Precious from Push". Los Angeles Times .
  5. "Lee Daniels Biography". Yahoo! Movies . Retrieved February 2, 2010.
  6. "10 Screenwriters to Watch". Variety. Retrieved February 2, 2010.
  7. "Director Liman Announces 'Attica' adaptation". Reuters . February 17, 2010. Retrieved February 18, 2010.
  8. "Liman, Fletcher to adapt Attica". Sharon Waxman. February 16, 2010.
  9. Zeitchik, Steven (February 16, 2010). "From Precious to Prison". Los Angeles Times.
  10. "Oscars Ceremonies-2010-Writing (Adapted Screenplay)". www.oscars.org. March 7, 2010. Retrieved March 24, 2015.
  11. ""Precious" Takes Top Prizes at Indie Film Awards". ABCNEWS.com . March 6, 2010. Archived from the original on March 31, 2010. Retrieved March 6, 2010.
  12. "Motion Picture Categories". NAACPImageAwards.com . Archived from the original on February 29, 2012. Retrieved January 7, 2010.
  13. International Press Academy (December 2009). "2009 14th Annual Satellite Awards Nominations". PressAcademys.com . Archived from the original on December 1, 2009. Retrieved December 8, 2009.
  14. "African -American Film Critics Association Selects "Precious" As Top Film Of 2009". Aafca.com . Archived from the original on April 10, 2010. Retrieved January 9, 2010.
  15. "'Precious' and 'Princess' Top Black Reel Awards Nominations". BlackReelAwards.com . The Black Reel Awards. December 16, 2009. Retrieved December 16, 2009.
  16. Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association (December 7, 2009). "Our Awards: 2009". DCFilmCritics.com . Retrieved December 8, 2009.
  17. "2009 EDA Award Winners". AWFJ.org. Retrieved December 19, 2009.
  18. "Houston Film Critics Society: Home". HoustonFilmCritics.com . Archived from the original on November 1, 2009. Retrieved December 19, 2009.
  19. "FFCC Award Winners". FloridaFilmCriticsCircle.webs.com . Archived from the original on December 9, 2011. Retrieved January 9, 2010.
  20. "USC Libraries Announce Scripter 2010 Finalists". USC.edu. Archived from the original on July 9, 2010. Retrieved January 10, 2010.
  21. "2010 Writers Guild Awards Screen Nominees Announced". wga.org . Archived from the original on March 11, 2016. Retrieved January 14, 2010.
  22. "The official nominations for the Orange British Academy Film Awards in 2010". bafta.org . Archived from the original on February 28, 2010. Retrieved January 21, 2010.
  23. "DGA Student Film Awards". DGA.org . Retrieved February 2, 2010.
  24. "The Third Hamptons International Film Festival Student Films". filmscouts.com. Retrieved February 2, 2010.