The Writers Guild Awards, which takes place on 1 February 2014 in the US, does not include nominations for a number of films on African and diaspora themes expected to receive acclaim for skilled writing, due to the films exceeding the Writers Guild of America’s (WGA) jurisdiction.
Films such as 12 Years A Slave; Fruitvale Station; Mandela: Long Walk To Freedom; God Loves Uganda; 20 Feet From Stardom; and The Square are excluded from the awards which pay tribute to outstanding writing across a number of mediums including film, television, new media, video games, news, radio, promotional, and graphic animation.
Only theatrical screenplays which were produced under the jurisdiction of the WGA or an affiliate Guild were allowed to be submitted for WGA consideration. According to The Writers Guild of America, West (WGAW) and the Writers Guild of America, East (WGAE), feature films eligible for an award had to have been exhibited theatrically for at least one week in Los Angeles during 2013.
Additionally, feature films needed to have been written under the WGA’s Minimum Basic Agreement (MBA) or under a bona fide collective bargaining agreement of the Writers Guild of Canada, Writers Guild of Great Britain, Irish Playwrights & Screenwriters Guild, or the New Zealand Writers Guild.
Visit www.wga.org or www.wgaeast.org for more information about this year’s awards.
