Kenneth Lonergan, who won the best original screenplay Oscar for Manchester by the Sea, will be honored at the Austin Film Festival & Writers Conference, where he will receive the event’s 2017 Distinguished Screenwriter Award.
The festival, which celebrates writers’ contributions to film, television and new media, takes place Oct. 26-29, and Lonergan will be recognized at the Awards Luncheon on Oct. 28.
In addition to Manchester, Lonergan wrote and directed You Can Count on Me and Margaret. He also co-wrote the screenplays for Analyze This and Gangs of New York, and as a playwright, has written This Is Our Youth, The Waverly Gallery, Lobby Hero, The Starry Messenger, Medieval Play and Hold on to Me Darling.
The festival also announced new panelists who will speak at its Screenwriters Conference. They include David Simon (creator, The Wire; co-creator of HBO’s upcoming The Deuce) and George Pelecanos (co-creator of The Deuce), Misha Green(co-creator, Underground), Eric Heisserer (writer, Arrival), Kourtney Kang (writer, Fresh Off the Boat) and David Lowery (writer-director A Ghost Story).
