Quendrith Johnson

by Quendrith Johnson, Los Angeles Correspondent

Variety Film Awards Editor Clayton Davis has a great gig coming up on Mar. 11 with Variety Deputy Awards and Features Editor Jenelle Riley. They will co-host the Writer’s Guild of America’s open-to-the-public virtual special BEYOND WORDS 2021. This comes as part of an insider tradition whereby the WGA presents award-nominated screenwriters who open up about the intricate facets of writing scripts for screen. These informal and engaging talks are designed to share the craft with not only newcomers and upcomers, but even for established writers who need a refresh.

While the annual show from the Guild sometimes skates under the Award Season radar due to the media wake of other better-known events, the WGA's first award show was held at the Bel-Air Hotel on June 23, 1949.

But you don’t have to be a member of the WGA to take advantage of this learning opportunity in partnership with storied screenwriting software company Final Draft and industry trade magazine Variety.

So get ready for film school on the fly. Read the details here, including the full line-up with this invite, and how to buy tickets.

WHAT:           Presented by Writers Guild of America West and Writers Guild Foundation in partnership with Final Draft and Variety, BEYOND WORDS 2021 will be hosted virtually for the first time this year on Thursday, March 11. This year’s special event will feature two, live back-to-back virtual panels spotlighting 2021 Writers Guild Awards-nominated screenwriters in Original and Adapted Screenplay categories, sharing their stories, experiences, and insights on creating their acclaimed films.

WHO:              2021 Writers Guild Awards-nominatedscreenwriters scheduled to appear include: Original Screenplay nominees Will Berson & Shaka King (Judas and the Black Messiah), Darius Marder & Abraham Marder (Sound of Metal), Andy Siara (Palm Springs), and Aaron Sorkin (The Trial of the Chicago 7); Adapted Screenplay nominees Ramin Bahrani (The White Tiger), Sacha Baron Cohen (Borat Subsequent Moviefilm), Paul Greengrass (News of the World), Kemp Powers (One Night in Miami), and Ruben Santiago-Hudson (Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom). Variety Deputy Awards and Features Editor Jenelle Riley will moderate the Original Screenplay panel; Variety Film Awards Editor Clayton Davis will moderate the Adapted Screenplay panel.

WHEN:           THURSDAY, MARCH 11, 2021

4:00 – 5:00 p.m. PST            Original Screenplay Panel Discussion

5:15 – 6:15 p.m. PST            Adapted Screenplay Panel Discussion

WHERE:         Zoom Webinar

Proceeds will benefit the Writer's Guild Foundation. General admission tickets may be purchased here, online.

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