Read this year’s Oscar Nominated Feature Scripts!
The 97th Academy Awards might have come and gone this past Sunday, but for screenwriters, the real gold isn’t the statues — it’s the scripts.
Every year, studios release the nominated screenplays online (before most quietly take them down a few weeks later). That means now’s your chance to see how Anora works on the page, or how The Brutalist built its intricate character dynamics.
Prefer adaptations? Check out how James Mangold and Jay Cocks tackled Bob Dylan’s life in A Complete Unknown, or how Peter Straughan turned Conclave into a slow-burn thriller. And if animation is your thing, FLOW is a must-read — a 35-page script with no dialogue that still packs an emotional gut punch.
No matter what genre you’re into, great scripts can offer up a lot of inspiration and screenwriting lessons — even for the most seasoned writer. So click on a title, download the script, and dive in!
Below, you’ll find links to this year’s Oscar-nominated screenplays, plus a few other notable scripts from the past year. All winners are marked with **. Enjoy!
Best Picture Nominees:
**ANORA (Neon) – Screenplay by Sean Baker
THE BRUTALIST (A24) – Screenplay by Brady Corbet & Mona Fastvold
A COMPLETE UNKNOWN (Searchlight) – Screenplay by James Mangold & Jay Cocks
CONCLAVE (Focus Features) – Screenplay by Peter Straughan; Based on the Novel by Robert Harris
DUNE: PART TWO (Warner Bros.) – Screenplay by Denis Villeneuve & Jon Spaihts
EMILIA PÉREZ (Netflix) – Screenplay by Jacques Audiard, in collaboration with Thomas Bidegain, Léa Mysius & Nicolas Livecchi
I'M STILL HERE (Sony Classics) – Screenplay by Marilo Hauser & Heitor Lorega; Based on the novel by Marcelo Rubens Paiva
NICKEL BOYS (Orion Pictures / Amazon MGM Studios) – Screenplay by RaMell Ross & Joslyn Barnes; Based on the book by Colson Whitehead
THE SUBSTANCE (Mubi) – Screenplay by Coralie Fargeat
WICKED (Universal Pictures) – Screenplay by Winnie Holzman & Dana Fox; Based on the Musical Stage Play with music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz and book by Winnie Holzman; From the novel by Gregory Maguire
Writing (Adapted screenplay) Nominees:
A COMPLETE UNKNOWN (Searchlight) – Screenplay by James Mangold & Jay Cocks
**CONCLAVE (Focus Features) – Screenplay by Peter Straughan; Based on the Novel by Robert Harris
EMILIA PÉREZ (Netflix) – Screenplay by Jacques Audiard, in collaboration with Thomas Bidegain, Léa Mysius & Nicolas Livecchi
NICKEL BOYS (Orion Pictures / Amazon MGM Studios) – Screenplay by RaMell Ross & Joslyn Barnes; Based on the book by Colson Whitehead
SING SING (A24) – Screenplay by Clint Bentley & Greg Kwedar; Story by Clint Bentley, Greg Kwedar, Clarence “Divine Eye” Maclin & John "Divine G" Whitfield; Based on The Sing Sing Follies by John H. Richardson & Breakin’ The Mummy’s Code by Brent Buell
Writing (Original screenplay) Nominees:
**ANORA (Neon) – Screenplay by Sean Baker
THE BRUTALIST (A24) – Screenplay by Brady Corbet & Mona Fastvold
A REAL PAIN (Searchlight) – Screenplay by Jesse Eisenberg
SEPTEMBER 5 (Paramount) – Screenplay by Moritz Binder & Tim Fehlbaum; Co-written by Alex David
THE SUBSTANCE (Mubi) – Screenplay by Coralie Fargeat
Best Animated Feature Nominees:
**FLOW (Janus Films/Sideshow) – Screenplay by Gints Zilbalodis & Matiss Kaza
INSIDE OUT 2 (Disney/Pixar) – Screenplay by Meg LeFauve & Dave Holstein; Original Story by Meg LeFauve & Kelsey Mann
MEMOIR OF A SNAIL (IFC Films) – Screenplay by Adam Elliot
THE WILD ROBOT (Dreamworks/Universal) – Screenplay by Chris Sanders; Based on the book by Peter Brown
WALLACE & GROMIT: Vengeance Most Fowl (Aardman/Netflix) — Screenplay by Nick Park & Mark Burton
Screenplays for other notable 2024/2025 films:
*many of these films are nominated for oscars in other categories besides those listed above.
THE APPRENTICE (Briarcliff) — Screenplay by Gabriel Sherman
BETTER MAN (Paramount Pictures) — Screenplay by Simon Gleeson, Oliver Cole & Michael Gracey
BLINK TWICE (Amazon MGM) — Screenplay by Zoe Kravitz & E.T. Feigenbaum
BLITZ (Apple Studios) — Screenplay by Steve McQueen
CHALLENGERS (Amazon MGM) — Screenplay by Justin Kuritzkes
DIDI (Focus Features) — Screenplay by Sean Wang
HIT MAN (Netflix) — Screenplay by Richard Linklater & Glen Powell; Based on the article in Texas Monthly by Skip Hollandsworth
THE IDEA OF YOU (Amazon MGM) — Screenplay by Michael Showalter and Jennifer Westfeldt; Based upon the novel by Robinne Lee
THE LAST SHOWGIRL (Roadside Attractions) — Screenplay by Kate Gersten
MARIA (Netflix) — Screenplay by Steven Knight
MY OLD ASS (Amazon MGM) — Screenplay by Megan Park
NOSFERATU (Focus Features) — Screenplay by Robert Eggers; Based on the Screenplay Nosferatu by Henrik Galeen & Dracula by Bram Stoker
SATURDAY NIGHT (Columbia) — Screenplay by Gil Kenan & Jason Reitman
THE SEED OF THE SACRED FIG (NEON) — Screenplay by Mohammad Rasoulof
What screenplays inspire you? Let me know @CaroleKirsch!
For more industry info and tips check out these additional resources:
For the ultimate guide to pitching a TV show that sells, check out my e-book, The Ultimate Guide to a Killer Pitch
To learn how to create your “personal logline” read my free e-book, Tell Your Story in 60 Seconds.
For my in-depth video course on breaking into the business go to: Carole Kirschner’s Hollywood Boot Camp.
And you can find my book, Hollywood Game Plan on Amazon or at Michael Wiese Productions (MWP).