‘12 Years a Slave’ wins USC Scripter Award for writing

“12 Years a Slave” on Saturday evening won the 26th USC Libraries Scripter Award honoring the year’s best adapted screenplay as well as the author of the work on which it’s based.

Screenwriter John Ridley shared the award with relatives of Solomon Northup, who published his memoir in 1853. “12 Years a Slave” was in competition with “Captain Phillips,” “Philomena,” “The Spectacular Now” and “What Maisie Knew.”

“12 Years a Slave,” which won the Golden Globe for best dramatic film and tied for top prize with “Gravity” at the Producers Guild Awards last month, is nominated for nine Academy Awards including film, director (Steve McQueen) and adapted screenplay.

The past three Scripter winners -- “The Social Network,” “The Descendants” and “Argo”-- went on to win the Academy Award for best adapted screenplay.

Veteran screenwriter Robert Towne, who won the Academy Award for the 1974 film “Chinatown,” was this year’s recipient of the Literary Achievement Award, which recognizes writers who “ have made significant, sustained contributions to the art of adaptation throughout their careers.”

The ceremony took place at Edward L. Doheny Jr. Memorial Library at USC with Helen Mirren and Taylor Hackford serving as honorary dinner chairpersons.

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