OUTSTANDING ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

Screenplay by Florian Zeller & Christopher Hampton; Based on Le Père by Florian Zeller, The Father

Screenplay by Jonathan Raymond & Kelly Reichardt; Based on The Half Life by Jonathan Raymond, First Cow

Screenplay by Chloé Zhao; Based on Nomadland: Surviving America in the Twenty-First Century by Jessica Bruder, Nomadland

Screenplay by Kemp Powers; Based on One Night in Miami by Kemp Powers, One Night in Miami

Screenplay by Sarah Gubbins; Based on Shirley by Susan Scarf Merrell, Shirley

AND THE WINNER:

SCREENPLAY BY CHLOÉ ZHAO; BASED ON NOMADLAND: SURVIVING AMERICAN IN THE TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY BY JESSICA BRUDER, NOMADLAND

This is the first win and second nomination for Chloé Zhao. She was previously nominated for directing The Rider (2018).

The task of adaptation can be quite the tricky one in film. Zhao's work stands above most for just how original a direction it took from the source material. Hearing that Fran (Frances McDormand) was not even a character in the original text is shocking and shows how great the adaptation was that this character would be included so seamlessly and still be a great work of film. There has been a complaint that nothing happens in Nomadland and honestly having watched the film I do not understand this critique. Just because the film simply follows a woman travelling through America doesn't mean nothing happens. 

Zhao has become the director/writer to talk about this year and honestly based on her latest, previous and debut feature film which I finally checked out this year I certainly am happy to see her be appreciated so much.