Best Adapted Screenplay Contenders
Academy Awards 2025
I have not seen a lot of films this year. And, to be honest, the ones I have seen have just been okay. Or, I haven’t really liked them. I’ve enjoyed a few, but I haven’t seen anything mind-blowing. To be fair, as I mentioned, I’m very behind on my film watching.
I’ve shared this before, but my dad is a former screenwriter and votes for the Academy Awards. The simple version of the way it works is that each Guild votes for their own top films (i.e., since my dad is screenwriter, he and all of the other screenwriters in the academy will select their top movies) and then those top contenders go to to everyone in the academy for a second vote, which ultimately decides the winner. He used to be sent screeners of all of the films - some would arrive in these grandiose boxes delivered by the studios and we would all spend the holidays watching film after film. It was so much fun. But now they send them via the internet and I feel like movies have gotten SO much longer and I just don’t have the time to spend two and half hours watching them when there are so many books to read!
In any case, I’m obviously particularly interested in the Best Adapted Screenplay nominations, since they’re movies based on books. (And yes, I’m still bitter that Percival Everrett wasn’t thanked last year when American Fiction, based on Erasure won Best Adapted Screenplay) So let’s look at the films nominated in this category this year as well as the books they’re based on. I’ll star the movies I’ve seen as well as the books I’ve read.
Film: Nickel Boys:
Based on: *The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead
Summary: A Pulitzer Prize-winning novel that exposes the horrors of a reform school in Jim Crow-era Florida, following two boys as they navigate systemic abuse and fight for survival.
Don’t forget, we’re reading and watching The Nickel Boys in March!! (Although I couldn’t wait and I’ve already started reading…)
Film: A Complete Unknown
Based on: Dylan Goes Electric! by Elijah Wald
Summary: This book delves into Bob Dylan’s pivotal 1965 Newport Folk Festival performance, exploring the cultural and musical impact of his transition from folk to rock music.
Film: *Emilia Pérez
Based on: Écoute by Éric Reinhardt
Summary: This novel follows the life of a successful businesswoman who, after a traumatic event, embarks on a journey of self-discovery and transformation, challenging societal expectations.
Film: Conclave
Based on: Conclave by Robert Harris
Summary: A political thriller set within the Vatican, focusing on the intense conclave where cardinals gather to elect a new pope, revealing the power struggles and secrets behind the papal selection process.
Film: Sing Sing
Based on: Sing Sing by John Whitfield
Summary: A memoir recounting the author’s wrongful conviction and 25 years spent in prison, highlighting the transformative power of theater and the human spirit.
It’s funny how not all of the books are for sale. And not just on Bookshop.org. You’d think there’d be enough renewed interest in these nominated books to get people to want to pick them up.
Have you seen / read any of these films / books? Are you a I must read the book before I see the film purist? Or does it matter to you?