John Cho, Cary Elwes to perform live readings dedicated to Anton Yelchin
LOS ANGELES — John Cho, Cary Elwes, Aja Naomi King, and Alia Shawkat will perform a live reading of selected scenes from this year’s five winning scripts at the Academy Nicholl Fellowships in Screenwriting Awards, the Academy announced.
The live read will be dedicated to Cho’s “Star Trek” co-star Anton Yelchin, who was a part of the first Nicholl live read in 2013, alongside Elle Fanning, Taraji P. Henson, and Jason Isaacs. Yelchin died in a freak accident involving his car in July.
Five winning scripts were chosen in September from 6,915 entries. The winners, who will each receive a $35,000 prize, are as follows:
“Talking About the Sky,” by Michele Atkins “Photo Booth,” by Spencer Harvey and Lloyd Harvey “Dinner With Friends,” by Geeta Malik “Tween the Ropes,” by Elizabeth Oyebode “Death of an Ortolan,” by Justin Piasecki
Cho’s most recently appeared in “Star Trek Beyond,” while English actor Elwes will be seen alongside Yelchin in the upcoming drama “We Don’t Belong Here,” which will mark one of Yelchin last on-screen appearances.
Shawkat can next be seen in “20th Century Women” opposite Annette Bening and Greta Gerwig, and King’s most recent role was as Nat Turner’s wife, Cherry Turner, in “Birth of a Nation.”
Academy Nicholl Fellowships Committee members — producer Julia Chasman, director Jennifer Yuh Nelson, writer Misan Sagay, actor Eva Marie Saint, and producer Peter Samuelson — will present.
The reading will be held on Nov. 3 at 7 30 p.m. at the Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills, and will be produced by Effie Brown and directed by Rodrigo Garcia for the fourth year in a row.
