BAFTA Award for Best Adapted Screenplay facts for kids

The BAFTA Award for Best Adapted Screenplay is a special prize given out every year at the British Academy Film Awards. It's awarded by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) to a screenwriter (the person who writes the movie script). This award celebrates the best movie script that was based on something else, like a book, a play, or even a true story.

BAFTA is a British group that hosts big awards shows for movies, TV, kids' shows, and even video games. Since 1983, they've given out the BAFTA award for Best Adapted Screenplay at their yearly ceremony.

What is an Adapted Screenplay?

An adapted screenplay is a movie script that isn't completely new. Instead, it's based on something that already exists. This could be:

• A popular book or novel
• A play
• A short story
• A real-life event or biography
• Even a comic book or a video game!

The job of a screenwriter who adapts a story is to take the original material and turn it into a script that works well for a movie. They have to decide what parts to keep, what to change, and how to make the story exciting for the big screen.

History of the Award

The BAFTA award for Best Adapted Screenplay has been given out since 1968. Before that, there was just one award for all screenplays. But then, BAFTA decided to split it into two: one for scripts that were completely new (called Best Original Screenplay) and this one, for scripts based on existing stories.

A writer named Christopher Hampton has won this award more than anyone else, with two wins. Several writers, like Ronald Harwood, Ruth Prawer Jhabvala, Eric Roth, and Aaron Sorkin, have been nominated four times each, showing how often their work has been recognized.

Winners and Nominees: A Look Back

The BAFTA Award for Best Adapted Screenplay has honored many amazing films over the years. The winners are chosen because their screenplays did a fantastic job of bringing an existing story to life on screen.

Here are some examples of films that have won this award, and what they were based on:

Notable Winners from the 1980s

• In 1983, the film Heat and Dust won. It was written by Ruth Prawer Jhabvala and based on her own novel of the same name.
• The 1984 winner was The Killing Fields, written by Bruce Robinson. This powerful film was based on the real-life experiences of two journalists, Dith Pran and Sydney Schanberg, during a war.
• In 1989, Dangerous Liaisons won. Christopher Hampton wrote the script, adapting it from his own play, which was also based on an old French novel.

Winners from the 1990s

• For 1990, Goodfellas took home the award. Nicholas Pileggi and Martin Scorsese wrote the script, which was based on Pileggi's book Wiseguy, about real-life gangsters.
• The funny and musical film The Commitments won in 1991. It was written by Dick Clement, Roddy Doyle, and Ian La Frenais, based on Roddy Doyle's novel.
• In 1993, the powerful movie Schindler's List won. Steven Zaillian adapted the script from the book Schindler's Ark by Thomas Keneally, telling a true story from World War II.
• The exciting film Trainspotting won in 1995. John Hodge wrote it, based on the novel by Irvine Welsh.
• In 1997, a modern take on a classic, Romeo + Juliet, won. Baz Luhrmann and Craig Pearce adapted it from William Shakespeare's famous play.

Winners from the 2000s

• The animated hit Shrek won in 2001. The screenwriters Ted Elliott, Terry Rossio, Roger S. H. Schulman, and Joe Stillman brought the story from William Steig's children's book Shrek! to life.
• In 2002, the unique film Adaptation. won. It was written by Charlie Kaufman and Donald Kaufman and was cleverly based on a non-fiction book called The Orchid Thief.
• The epic fantasy The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King won in 2003. Philippa Boyens, Peter Jackson, and Fran Walsh adapted it from J. R. R. Tolkien's beloved book.
• For 2008, the inspiring film Slumdog Millionaire won. Simon Beaufoy wrote the script, based on the book Q & A by Vikas Swarup.

Winners from the 2010s

• The film about the creation of Facebook, The Social Network, won in 2010. Aaron Sorkin wrote the script, based on the book The Accidental Billionaires.
• In 2011, the spy thriller Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy won. Bridget O'Connor and Peter Straughan adapted it from the famous novel by John le Carré.
• The heartwarming film Philomena won in 2013. Steve Coogan and Jeff Pope wrote the script, based on the true story told in the book The Lost Child of Philomena Lee.
• In 2019, the unique World War II comedy-drama Jojo Rabbit won. Taika Waititi adapted it from the book Caging Skies.

Recent Winners from the 2020s

• For 2020, The Father won. Christopher Hampton and Florian Zeller adapted it from Zeller's own play.
• The touching film CODA won in 2021. Sian Heder wrote the script, based on a French film called La Famille Bélier.
• In 2022, the powerful war film All Quiet on the Western Front won. Edward Berger, Lesley Paterson, and Ian Stokell adapted it from the classic novel by Erich Maria Remarque.
• The winner for 2023 was American Fiction. Cord Jefferson adapted it from the novel Erasure by Percival Everett.
• Most recently, in 2024, Conclave won. Peter Straughan wrote the screenplay, based on the novel by Robert Harris.

Who Has Won or Been Nominated the Most?

Some screenwriters are really good at adapting stories for the big screen, and they've been recognized many times!

Multiple Wins

Multiple Nominations

See also

In Spanish: Anexo:BAFTA al mejor guion adaptado para niños

• Golden Globe Award for Best Screenplay
• Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay
• AACTA International Award for Best Screenplay
• Critics' Choice Movie Award for Best Adapted Screenplay
• Writers Guild of America Award for Best Adapted Screenplay