Screenwriters. On Screenwriting. The BAFTA and BFI Screenwriters’ Lecture Series in association with The JJ Charitable Trust 09–23 September 2010 Name a famous film director. Now name a famous screenwriter. Not so easy. The truth is, no great film can exist without a great screenplay, yet screenwriters remain in the shadows – seen, all too often, as adjuncts to the director’s vision, rather than authors in their own right. We wanted to correct this misconception by inviting some of the film industry’s top screenwriters to talk about their art and what inspires them. These talks allow each speaker to dictate the content and structure of the event, for their ‘voice’ to emerge. With multi-award-winning screenwriters Simon Beaufoy, Aline Brosh McKenna, Christopher Hampton, David Hare, Ronald Harwood and Peter Morgan, this is a truly inspiring series for the industry and film fans alike. Jeremy Brock Screenwriter (The Last King Of Scotland, Mrs. Brown) Sir David Hare Thursday 9 September, BFI Southbank Christopher Hampton cbe Friday 10 September, BFI Southbank David Hare has a reputation for elegant and a politician makes a deadly choice when Hampton’s career enjoyed an auspicious start wrote and directed. The biographical drama highly intelligent screenplays which inspire threatened with a scandal, and adapted when his debut play, When Did You Last See about the relationship between painter Dora extraordinary performances from actors. Josephine Hart’s novel Damage (1992), Your Mother? (1966), made him the youngest Carrington and author Lytton Strachey He first came to prominence as a about an MP’s passionate affair with his playwright ever to have a play in the West earned Hampton a BAFTA nomination for playwright in the ’70s after his debut play son’s fiancée. End, a record which still stands. British Film and won him the Special Jury Slag (1970) won the Evening Standard Award His most recent work includes two His television work includes Prize at Cannes. for Most Promising Playwright. Since then, adaptations for Stephen Daldry. The Hours adaptations of his own plays The Philanthropist Hampton’s masterly adaptation of Ian his work has enjoyed sell-out runs at the (2002) explored the effect of Virginia (1975), Savages (1975), and other works McEwan’s novel Atonement (2007), in which National Theatre, and many of his plays have Woolf’s Mrs Dalloway on three generations including Hotel du Lac (1986) and The Ginger a young girl’s lie has life-changing effects, been presented on Broadway. of women, whilst The Reader (2008) saw Tree (1989). He also wrote Able’s Will (1977), brought two more BAFTA nominations for Among Hare’s television work is the a law student in post-WWII Germany which marked his first screen collaboration Adapted Screenplay and British Film, and his acclaimed teleplay Licking Hitler (1978), a re-encountering his former lover as she defends with Stephen Frears. second Oscar nomination. companion piece to his stage play Plenty herself in a war-crime trial. Hare was BAFTA- After early film screenplays includingA His latest script, A Dangerous Method (1978), both of which explore the effects of and Oscar-nominated for both screenplays. Doll’s House (1973) and The Honorary Consul (1983), (2011), is being filmed by David Cronenberg, the Second World War on the lives of women Hare has written a new film, Page Hampton reunited with Frears for perhaps his and stars Michael Fassbender and Viggo who’d served in the conflict. The drama, Eight, which he will direct next year. best-known work to date: Dangerous Liaisons Mortensen. which Hare also directed, won the BAFTA (1988). The tale of bored aristocrats indulging for Best Single Play. STEPHEN DALDRY: in games of passion and betrayal brought STEPHEN FREARS: Moving into feature film, Hare wrote David is a wonderful collaborator and a true friend both BAFTA and Oscar success to Hampton, I remember Christopher bringing round the script and directed Wetherby (1985), an award- to the director. He guides, cajoles and suggests with who enjoyed two further collaborations with of Dangerous Liaisons on 1 January 1988. I read winning drama about the mysterious death all the care and experience he has built up having Frears on Mary Reilly (1996) and Cheri (2009). it and thought I would like to spend the rest of my of an enigmatic young man. He also wrote been at the centre of Britain’s cultural and political His second BAFTA nomination came life watching it. The joy, the wit, the passion, the and directed Paris By Night (1988), in which life for the past 40 years. An essential artist. for Carrington (1995), a script which he both elegance, the mischievousness leapt off the page. 2 The BAFTA and BFI Screenwriters’ Lecture Series in association with The JJ Charitable Trust 3 Simon Beaufoy Friday 17 September, BFI Southbank Peter Morgan Monday 20 September, BAFTA, 195 Piccadilly Whether a feel-good comedy or political post-9/11 nightmare when her Pakistani- Given his international stature and haul of Frost/Nixon (2008) was Morgan’s drama, Beaufoy’s diverse range of work is born husband is falsely imprisoned as a terror major awards, it’s hard to comprehend that adaptation of his own play, based around the always insightful and full of compassion for suspect. Beaufoy’s television work includes the Morgan was virtually unknown only seven series of televised interviews by David Frost his characters. mini-series Burn Up (2008), a political thriller years ago. with former US President Richard Nixon. His debut feature-length script, The that dealt with climate change. His breakthrough work came with his Morgan’s compelling script brought BAFTA Full Monty (1997), enjoyed huge critical and Most recently, he enjoyed international BAFTA-winning television drama The Deal and Oscar nominations once again. commercial success. The comedy followed success with his adapation of Slumdog (2003), about the alleged power-sharing deal After successful adaptations of The six unemployed men who turn to stripping Millionaire (2008). The ‘rags to riches’ tale struck between Tony Blair and Gordon Brown Other Boleyn Girl (2008) and The Damned as a money-earner, and gave Beaufoy his first earned Beaufoy his first BAFTA, Golden in 1994. Three years later, Morgan earned his United (2009), Morgan revisited Tony Blair’s BAFTA and Oscar nominations. Globe and Oscar wins, among countless second BAFTA win with another television career with his Blair/Clinton television Scripts followed for Among Giants others. The film itself won seven BAFTAs drama, Longford (2006), about Lord Longford’s drama The Special Relationship (2010), for (1998), a triangular love story about pylon and eight Oscars, including Best Film at both. campaign for the parole of Myra Hindley. which he received an Emmy nomination. painters in Yorkshire, and The Darkest Light Beaufoy’s next film is a second On film, Morgan’s adaptation of Morgan’s forthcoming projects include (1999). Beaufoy co-directed the latter with collaboration with Danny Boyle, 127 Hours The Last King Of Scotland (2006), about the supernatural thriller Hereafter (2010), directed occasional collaborator Bille Eltringham – (2010), a real-life drama starring James Franco. relationship between Idi Amin and his by Clint Eastwood and starring Matt Damon. who also directed his script for This Is Not A Scottish physician, brought him his third Love Song (2002) in which a criminal duo are DANNY BOYLE: and fourth BAFTA triumphs when it won KEVIN MACDONALD: stalked across the Scottish moors. I read Simon’s Slumdog Millionaire script on a Adapted Screenplay (shared with Jeremy At the heart of Peter’s talent lies his extraordinary He then wrote two very contrasting grey London afternoon, and it was literally vibrating Brock) and British Film. That same year, his empathy. He can see the good side in every character stories set in his hometown of Keighley. Blow in front of me. If ever there was a case for the role of screenplay for The Queen (2006), a fictional he writes, from Idi Amin to Richard Nixon. He Dry (2001) brought the British Hairdressing adapter as creator, this screenplay is it. Simon swept account of the immediate aftermath of writes people, not preconceptions or ‘types’. His Championship to town, whilst Yasmin (2004) through Vikas Swarup’s novel, grabbing only what Princess Diana’s death, won a Golden Globe second talent is a voice that is entirely distinctive – saw a British Muslim woman caught in a was vital, and shaped a work in its own right. and was both BAFTA- and Oscar-nominated. every film he’s worked on sounds like a Morgan film. 4 The BAFTA and BFI Screenwriters’ Lecture Series in association with The JJ Charitable Trust 5 Aline Brosh McKenna Tuesday 21 September, BAFTA, 195 Piccadilly Sir Ronald Harwood cbe Thursday 23 September, BFI Southbank Relatively new to the industry but with a Her next film, the Roger Michell- Hugely admired and respected, Ronald for The Pianist (2002). The WWII drama string of commercial successes to her name directed Morning Glory (2010), follows an Harwood has an award-winning body of about a Polish-Jewish musician eluding already, Aline Brosh McKenna is one of aspiring television producer who tries to work as a playwright, screenwriter and author capture in the ruins of Warsaw garnered great Hollywood’s current ‘It’ writers, with a revive a struggling morning show, in spite that spans five decades. critical acclaim and Harwood’s first Oscar particular finesse for romantic comedy. of its feuding anchors. Throughout the ’60s and ’70s Harwood win. He later collaborated with Polanski on A first feature credit on Three To McKenna’s other forthcoming projects wrote many dramas for television, including Oliver Twist (2005).