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Final Draft, Inc. Hall of Fame Awards

Each year Final Draft, Inc. gives its Hall of Fame Award during the Annual Awards Event presentation to an industry leader whose body of work has been an inspiration to writers and filmmakers worldwide. Past Hall of Fame Award recipients include Syd Field, the late Sydney Pollack, Robert Towne, Steven Zaillian, Aaron Sorkin, Oliver Stone, and the late Stephen J. Cannell.

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2012 Hall of Fame Honoree - Lawrence Kasdan

The 2012 Hall of Fame Award honoree is Lawrence Kasdan who has written, directed or produced 22 motion pictures, including Body Heat, The Big Chill, Silverado, The Accidental Tourist, and Grand Canyon. Among them, he has written or co-written four of the most successful films in motion picture history -- Raiders of The Lost Ark, The Empire Strikes Back, Return of The Jedi and The Bodyguard.

Born in Miami Beach, Florida and raised in West Virginia, Kasdan attended the University of Michigan, supporting himself with a series of writing awards while he studied English literature.

Watch our exclusive interview with Lawrence Kasdan

Two of his films, The Big Chill and The Accidental Tourist, have been nominated for Academy Awards as Best Picture. The Accidental Tourist was named Best Picture of 1988 by the New York Film Critics Circle.

Kasdan has been nominated for four Academy Awards and six Writers Guild Awards. In 2006, The Writers Guild of America honored him with its Laurel Award for advancing the literature of motion pictures.

Past Hall of Fame Honorees:

2011 Hall of Fame Award Recipient
- Steven Zaillian

Steven Zaillian received an Academy Award® for his screenplay of Schindler's List. His work on the film was also honored with a Writers Guild Award, the British Academy's BAFTA Award, and the Humanitas Prize. Other screenplays include The Falcon and the Snowman, Jack the Bear, Awakenings, and American Gangster. He also wrote and directed Searching for Bobby Fisher, All the King’s Men, and Civil Action. In 2011, Steven Zaillian was bestowed the prestigious WGAW Screen Laurel Award. His thought-provoking films have both entertained and inspired audiences worldwide. Final Draft, Inc. is proud to celebrate his contribution to cinema.

2010 Hall of Fame Award Recipient
- Aaron Sorkin

Aaron Sorkin is an Emmy® and Tony® award-winning writer, as well as the screenwriter of The Social Network. His shows and films have both entertained and enlightened by capturing the zeitgeist of our society's cultural landscape. Final Draft, Inc. is proud to celebrate his contribution to cinema, theatre and television.

Aaron Sorkin giving his acceptance speech in The Paley Center for Media's John H Mitchell Theater

Marc Madnick (CEO, Final Draft, Inc.) and Aaron Sorkin (The Social Network) on the red carpet

Aaron Sorkin with actor Kevin Pollak at the 6th Annual Final Draft, Inc. event

2009 Hall of Fame Award Recipient
- Robert Towne

Robert Towne is an Oscar®-winning writer and a script doctor extraordinaire. His films have been a significant contribution to the cultural landscape. Chinatown is perhaps the most studied script in film schools and screenwriting classes worldwide, making Mr. Towne a founding father of contemporary screenwriting. Final Draft, Inc. is proud to celebrate his contribution to cinema and television both past and present, and his role in forming the next generation of screenwriters.

Final Draft, Inc. Gets Close Up with the Legendary Robert Towne (Part 1)

Final Draft, Inc. Gets Close Up with the Legendary Robert Towne (Part 2)

Robert Towne congratulating second-place Big Break contest winner Kevin Lee Miller (Trigger Mom)

Robert Towne giving his acceptance speech in The Paley Center for Media’s John H Mitchell Theater

Marc Madnick, CEO, Final Draft, Inc. with Robert Towne on the red carpet

Marc Madnick, CEO, Final Draft, Inc. on the red carpet with Hall of Fame recipient Robert Towne and Contest Director Liz Alani

2008 Hall of Fame Award Recipient
- Stephen J. Cannell

It is nearly impossible to list all of Stephen J. Cannell's work. He has either written or co-written over 300 television scripts, created or co-created over two dozen television series, formed a successful production company, wrote best-selling police novels and even acted in his own and other producers' shows. He has won an Emmy, two Writer's Guild Awards, two Edgar Award Nominations and has a star on the Hollywood Blvd. Walk of Fame. Despite his many accolades, his first love continues to be writing. A co-worker of his on Rockford, writer and The Sopranos (1999) creator David Chase, was once quoted as saying no person he ever met seemed to love writing as much as Stephen J. Cannell.

Passionate speech by Stephen J. Cannell

Stephen & Marc celebrating after the ceremony

Final Draft, Inc. CEO Marc Madnick handing Hall of Fame Award to Stephen J. Cannell

Stephen J. Cannell being interviewed backstage by
You Tube phenom, Cindy Iglesias

2007 Hall of Fame Award Recipient
- Oliver Stone

Oliver Stone’s films have been a significant contribution to the cultural landscape and have ignited a generation. He has evolved from a respected and controversial screenwriter and director to become one of the most honored and best-known filmmakers working today.

Oliver Stone’s acceptance speech.

Oliver Stone accepting Hall of Fame Award

Oliver Stone delivering his speech

Oliver Stone and Final Draft CEO Marc Madnick

2006 Hall of Fame Award Recipient
- Syd Field

Syd Field is an iconic screenwriting guru. He has written several screenwriting books and his workshops help aspiring screenwriters produce marketable screenplays. Field's ideas about what makes a good script have influenced Hollywood producers, who often use his ideas on structure as a guideline to a proposed screenplay's potential. Field is an American Screenwriters Association Screenwriting Hall of Fame inductee.

Syd Field delivering his speech

Syd Field accepting Hall of Fame Award

Syd Field and Final Draft CEO Marc Madnick

2005 Hall of Fame Award Recipient
- Sydney Pollack

Sydney Pollack was an Academy Award-winning director, producer, actor, writer, and public figure, who directed and produced over 40 films. Pollack was best-known for directing Tootsie, Out of Africa, Three Days of the Condor, and The Way We Were. The Directors Guild of America awarded him with the John Huston Award, as a "defender of artists' rights...a warrior."