Writers Guild of America West showcases screenwriters at “Behind the Screen 2014”

The Writers Guild of America West put on yet another well-attended and jovial reception for the screenwriters of several current and soon-to-be-released films last night at the Capital Grille at the Beverly Center.  Etopia News was there and had a chance to meet and briefly chat with a few of them about their work.

Christina Welsh, who adapted “Addicted,” about a woman whose sexual addiction threatens to overturn her seemingly-perfect life, said she hoped the film would help reduce the stigma associated with being female and a sex addict, adding that many “don’t take it seriously,” and pointing out that women find it hard to admit to suffering from this condition.  She said she wanted the film to “break the stereotype.”  She doesn’t usually do adaptations, and enjoyed the process of doing this one.

Aimee Lagos, who wrote “No Good Deed,” a thriller about an escaped convict and the woman who makes the mistake of helping him, was adamant about the need for more diversity in the screenwriting profession and talked hopefully about creating a database that would make it possible for decision-makers in Hollywood to more easily find screenwriting talent that wasn’t white, male, and heterosexual.

Larry Karaszewski, co-screenwriter, along with Scott Alexander, of “Big Eyes,” , a bio-pic about Margaret and Walter Keane and the creation and attribution of the eponymous paintings, talked about meeting and convincing Margaret to share her story with the writers in 2003, thereby enabling the 11-years-long production of the film, which was directed by Tim Burton.  Amy Adams stars as Margaret Keane, and Christoph Waltz as Walter.

It also took eleven years for Margaret Nagle, screenwriter of “The Good Lie,” about the “Lost Boys of Sudan,” to get her film made.  She criticized Warner Brothers, the distributor of the film, for their lack of energy in promoting it.  The film will be available on iTunes starting on December 9^th. 

Also in attendance was E. Max Frye, co-screen writer (with Dan Futterman) of “Foxcatcher” a biographical drama about the wrestling world staring Steve Carell, Channing Tatum, and Mark Ruffalo, out now and prominently on display in a big billboard at the corner of Sunset and La Cienega Boulevards, up the road a bit from the Capital Grille and the Beverly Center.

Etopia News was not the only media entity there.  Kelley Bruggere, Host-Writer at Android TV; Ken Choy, from Wide Lantern; Angela Dawson, Editor of Front Row Features; Jennifer Buonantony from PressPassLA; and Akshara Sekar from the University of Southern California’s Daily Trojan were all there to cover the event and interview the screenwriters.

WGAW Communications Specialist Gregg Mitchell was there, too, facilitating all this coverage.

View photos from this event here.