'Borat,' 'Promising Young Woman' win at Writers Guild Awards

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Sacha Baron Cohen's “Borat Subsequent Moviefilm” was partly improvised and scripted by nine writers, but it still walked away Sunday night with one of the Writers Guild Awards' top honors, best adapted screenplay. Best original screenplay went to the script for the feminist revenge thriller “Promising Young Woman ” by writer-director Emerald Fennell The film, which is nominated for five Oscars including best picture, triumphed over Aaron Sorkin's “The Trial of the Chicago 7,” along with “Sound of Metal,” “Judas and the Black Messiah” and “Palm Springs.” The “Borat” sequel win came over “Ma Rainey's Black Bottom,” “News of the World,” “One Night in Miami” and “The White Tiger." Due to guild regulations, several of this year's best-picture nominees at the Academy Awards weren't nominated, including “Mank,” “Nomadland,” “Minari” and “The Father.” Cohen and his fellow eight credited writers for the film's screenplay and story accepted the award by Zoom. Last month, WME became the final big agency to sign the guild's agreement over an industry practice known as “packaging.” “Our agency campaign has made us true partners again with our agency representatives,” said David Goodman, president of the WGA West.