Austin Film Festival To Honor “Edward Scissorhands” Screenwriter
Caroline Thompson, screenwriter of a string of quirky hit films like “Edward Scissorhands,” “The Nightmare Before Christmas,” “Corpse Bride,” and “The Addams Family,” has been named as the recipient of Austin Film Festival’s 2011 Distinguished Screenwriter Award. Thompson will be celebrated along with Hart Hanson, creator of TV’s “Bones,” who will receive AFF’s Outstanding Television Writer Award.
The writers are set to receive their awards at the festival’s annual awards luncheon this fall.
Below is the full release:
CAROLINE THOMPSON TO RECEIVE DISTINGUISHED SCREENWRITER AWARD AT 2011 AUSTIN FILM FESTIVAL
SCREENWRITER OF EDWARD SCISSORHANDS, THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS, CORPSE BRIDE, THE ADDAMS FAMILY AND MORE
JOINS HART HANSON, RECIPIENT OF THIS YEAR’S OUTSTANDING TELEVISION WRITER AWARD
AUSTIN, TX (April 5, 2011) – The Austin Film Festival (AFF) proudly announced today this year’s recipient of the 2011 Distinguished Screenwriter Award will be Caroline Thompson, screenplay writer of Edward Scissorhands, The Nightmare Before Christmas, Corpse Bride, The Addams Family, The Secret Garden, Black Beauty, and more. Thompson will accept the award at the Festival’s annual Awards Luncheon held on Saturday, October 22, 2011 at the Austin Club. Thompson will also speak on panels during the Conference.
Caroline Thompson published her first novel, First Born, in 1983, and adapted it for the screen with director Penelope Spheeris. Although the film was never made, Thompson discovered her love for writing screenplays, and her first film was 1990’s Edward Scissorhands, which was immediately followed by The Addams Family in 1991. She went on to write Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey, The Secret Garden, The Nightmare Before Christmas, Black Beauty, Buddy, Snow White: The Fairest of Them All, Corpse Bride and City of Ember. She is currently working on adaptations of Melissa Marr’s novel Wicked Lovely and Mikhail Bulgakov’s The Master and Margarita. Eager to encourage the strange and idiosyncratic in young filmmakers, Caroline and her husband Steve Nicolaides founded and run the website Small & Creepy Films at www.smallandcreepy.com.
Thompson joins Hart Hanson, who is set to receive AFF’s Outstanding Television Writer Award at this year’s Festival. Hanson is best known as the creator, writer and executive producer of the popular television series “Bones,” which is currently in it’s 6th season on Fox. Hanson’s other credits include creator/showrunner for “Traders,” which was nominated for multiple Gemini Awards (Canadian Emmy’s), as well as writing for “Judging Amy,” “Joan of Arcadia,” and more. Presenting Hanson with his award will be “Bones” stars David Boreanaz and Emily Deschanel. Still to be announced is this year’s recipient of the Extraordinary Contribution to Filmmaking Award.
The Austin Film Festival annually recognizes outstanding filmmakers and screenwriters for their accomplished bodies of work and contributions to filmmaking. Previous recipients of the Distinguished Screenwriter Award include David Peoples, Steven Zaillian, Harold Ramis, Lawrence Kasdan, Barry Levinson, Frank Pierson, James L. Brooks, Richard LaGravenese and Horton Foote, among others.
Since 1994, Austin Film Festival has been dedicated to furthering the art and craft of filmmaking by inspiring and championing thework of screenwriters, filmmakers, and all artists who use the language of film to tell a story. The Austin Film Festival’s Conference offers over 80 panels, craft sessions and roundtable discussions led by more than 100 top professionals in the television and film industries. Focusing on the art, craft and business of film and television writing and production, it provides registrants unparalleled access to the best writers and filmmakers in the field. Just some of the speakers confirmed for 2011, schedules permitting, include:
• Alec Berg, “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” “Late Night with Conan O’Brien,” “Seinfeld”
• Jon Aibel & Glenn Berger, Kung Fu Panda 1 & 2, Alvin and the Chipmunks 2 & 3, Monsters vs. Aliens
• Shane Black, Ironman III ‘12, Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang, Lethal Weapon
• Lindsay Doran, producer Stranger than Fiction, Nanny McPhee, Sense and Sensibility
• Rodrigo Garcia, writer/director “In Treatment,” Mother and Child
• Pamela Gray, writer Conviction, A Walk on the Moon
• Ted Griffin, creator “Terriers,” writer Ocean’s Eleven, Rumor Has It…, Matchstick Men
• Noah Hawley, creator “My Generation,” writer/producer “The Unusuals,” “Bones”
• Jim Herzfeld, writer Meet the Fockers, Meet the Parents, Tapeheads
• Rita Hsiao, writerToy Story 2, Mulan
• Elizabeth Hunter, writer Beauty Shop, The Fighting Temptations, “ER”
• Lawrence Kasdan, writer Raiders of the Lost Ark, The Empire Strikes Back, Return of the Jedi, The Big Chill, The Accidental Tourist
• Kyle Killen, writer The Beaver, creator “Lonestar”
• Luisa Leschin, writer “Are We There Yet?,” “Everybody Hates Chris,” “George Lopez”
• Craig Mazin, writer The Hangover 2, Scary Movie 3 & 4
• Tim McCanlies, director Alabama Moon, writer Secondhand Lions, The Iron Giant
• Mike Mitchell, director Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chip-Wrecked ’11, Shrek Forever After, Surviving Christmas
• Peter Murrieta, creator “Wizards of Waverly Place,” “Hope and Faith”
• Nancy Pimental, writer “South Park,” The Sweetest Thing
• Rhett Reese, writer Deadpool ‘12, Zombieland, GI Joe2, Monsters, Inc.
• Howard A. Rodman, writer August, Savage Grace, Joe Gould’s Secret
• Alvaro Rodriguez, writer Machete, Shorts, From Dusk Till Dawn 3
• Alex Smith, co-writer/director Dance with the One, The Slaughter Ruler
• Dana Stevens, writer “What About Brian,” Life or Something Like it, For Love of the Game
• Amy Talkington, writer Valley Girl ‘12, Private Benjamin ‘12, Night of the White Pants
• Beau Thorne, writer Max Payne
• Donald Todd, writer/producer “Samantha Who?,” “Caroline in the City,” “Dave’s World,” “ALF”
The Conference will also include representatives from Overbrook Entertainment, 20th Century Fox Animation/Blue Sky Studios, Josephson Entertainment, di Bonaventura Pictures, CAA, UTA and many more. The complete list is available at www.austinfilmfestival.com, or upon request. Film screenings, additional panelists and special events will be announced in the coming months. Attendance of Conference speakers is schedule permitting and subject to change without notice.
Awards Luncheon tickets are $50 each and are available for purchase by Conference and Producers Badge holders only. For additionalinformation on the 18th Annual Austin Film Festival, panels and film screenings, and how to purchase everything from a Producers Badge to a FilmPass, visit the official website at www.austinfilmfestival.com or call
