10 Best Oscar nominated movies for adapted screenplay 

The Academy Awards, popularly known as the Oscars, award films for their technical and creative excellence. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in America bestows them each year to honor outstanding cinematic performances. The Academy's voting members judge the panel. The Best Adapted Screenplay segment awards films that successfully change original dramatic texts and scripts into captivating motion pictures.

The story adaptations include dramas, comedies, and offer captivating plots that appeal to worldwide audiences through these film adaptations. Ten outstanding films that earned Oscar nominations for Best Adapted Screenplay are featured in this list. This list tells the stories of captivating and intellectual cinematic productions in the award ceremonies. Moreover, it shows impactful storytelling, artistic vision, and brilliant character development behind their transformation from page to screen.

Here is the list of 10 Best Oscar-nominated movies for adapted screenplay.

Disclaimer: Please note this entire article is based on the writer's opinion. Reader's discretion is advised.

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10. American Fiction (2023)

Percival Everett's novel "Erasure" is the root of the screenplay of American Fiction. The narrator, Thelonious Ellison or "Monk" describes in his story how the publishing industry prioritizes racist stereotypes in Black entertainment to make a profit. He prepares a satirical work under a fake name that achieves exceptional praise from critics against his original expectations. During his speech at the award ceremony, he says,

"I've been talking a lot about how many people passed on this movie in discussing it, and I worry that sometimes that sounds vindictive"

He continues,

"I don't want to be vindictive. I'm not a vindictive person anymore, I've worked very hard not to be vindictive anymore."

The picture received the 2024 Best Adapted Screenplay Oscar because it brought dynamic social observations through dramatic and satirical techniques that exposed shaky portrayals of Black lives across popular media. Jefferson presented intelligently through his complicated themes in the script and received honorable recognition from judges.

9. Emilia Pérez (2024)

Jacques Audiard directed this motion picture released in 2024. The movie exists as a musical crime drama that comes from the personality in Boris Razon's 2018 publication "Écoute." The story features Emilia who leads a cartel while having gender-confirmation surgery before becoming a legal client to fake her death. Therefore, she can exist as herself without deception.

The fusion of criminal storytelling techniques and musical elements in the film earned its Best Adapted Screenplay Oscar nomination during the 2025 ceremony. Jacques received recognition for his unique screenplay structure and emotional depth, which earned him a top honors nomination.

8. Women Talking (2022)

Sarah Polley directed this film and won the Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay in the 2023 award ceremony. The drama adapts real incidents that took place in Bolivia's Mennonite settlement as described in Miriam Toews' 2018 book. Moreover, the movie centers on a group of women in a remote religious community who, following a string of sexual assaults, struggle to reconcile their beliefs with reality. After winning the Oscar, she says,

"It was an incredible collective experience and even adopting this screenplay itself was the result of so many conversations...nominees tonight"

The film's extraordinary and thought-provoking story deftly combined social and drama commentary and earned it the Best Adapted Screenplay. Polley's screenplay stood out in the category and received accolades for its subtle depiction of difficult subjects including pain, resiliency, and the pursuit of justice.

7. Call Me by Your Name (2017)

Director Luca Guadagnino released his film in 2017. This movie draws its story from André Aciman's 2007 literary work named after its title. Elio, at seventeen years old, and his lover Oliver at twenty-four spent the summer of 1983 in the Italian north. James Ivory won the Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay because he successfully depicted the tender nature of teenage relationships in his movie adaptation. After placing his statuette on the floor, Ivory made his acceptance speech and said,

"Working with them for close to fifty years at Merchant Ivory led me to this award. And my profound thanks to the members of the Academy; in voting for me you are remembering them."

He began by expressing gratitude to André Aciman, the author of the original work, and pointing out the universality of the tale he narrated. Viewers praised the script because it successfully revealed intense youthful romance through natural and realistic storytelling methods. Audiences found a connection through this film due to its appealing cinematography, strong acting, and its widespread appeal.

6. Jojo Rabbit (2019)

Taika Waititi directed this movie. The story began when Christine Leunens published "Caging Skies" in 2004. Jojo exists as a German boy before discovering that his mother shelters a Jewish girl inside their household. The story gains its satirical elements when Jojo imagines a humorous version of Adolf Hitler as his friend. As per the report of Hollywood Reporter, Taika says,

“This is really great. I dedicate this to all the indigenous kids that live in the world who want to do art and dance and write stories. We are the original storytellers and we can make it here, as well”

The movie earned its Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay because of perfect scriptwriting which blended humor effectively with emotional substance to portray heavy events gracefully. The originality, wit, and dramatic talent in Waititi's screenplay made it become a distinguished nominee in this category.

5. Moonlight (2016)

The director of this film is Barry Jenkins. The film draws its storyline from In Moonlight Black Boys Look Blue. Tarell Alvin McCraney wrote as a stage production. The movie follows the story of Chiron, an African American male who must overcome dangerous surroundings and his struggles with sexuality along with his identity while living in Miami.

The film's dramatic and emotional storytelling about Chiron's life through high and low points secured the Best Adapted Screenplay. The screenplay of Jenkins stood out in the category and received accolades for its lyrical style, honesty, and emotional depth.

4. Coda (2021)

CODA received the 2021 Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay after Siân Heder designed its screenplay. CODA is an adaptation of the 2014 French film "La Famille Bélier," directed by Éric Lartigau. A hearing individual from a deaf family in Massachusetts constitutes the main character of this story. The story revolves around Ruby Rossi who belongs to the Child of Deaf Adults (CODA) demographic because she is the singular hearing person in her family of deaf parents and brother. Ruby finds her singing talent while facing a dilemma to follow her singing aspirations or stay to help her family's struggling fishing business.

The film received the Best Adapted Screenplay Oscar because it depicted deaf experiences and their communal obstacles. Heder excelled in adapting the emotional storyline, building compelling characters, and flawless presentation of sign language to produce a finalist script in the category.

3. The Social Network (2010)

David Fincher directed this film. This film stems from The Accidental Billionaires because Ben Mezrich composed the 2009 book which served as its basis. This film tells the story of how Mark Zuckerberg created Facebook whilst providing details about the lawsuits that pursued his post-creation. The movie explores sophisticated themes of friendship alongside ambition and betrayal that Mark faces during the revolutionizing social media service.

The film won the Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay by presenting Aaron Sorkin's well-written dramatic script with strong writing that captured the film's tension successfully. Viewers praised Sorkin for his exceptional work because his dialogue blended intelligence with character depth while making a technological story appealing to audiences.

2. 12 Years a Slave (2013)

Steve McQueen directed this film. In 1853, Solomon Northup published his autobiographical book that later became the foundation for the film. In his autobiography, Northup describes the real-life experience of free men who underwent forced abduction and eventual enslavement just before the Civil War period in America. In the award ceremony, Ridley said,

"Thank you all, I've started writing sitcoms a long time ago.......script coordinator...who is a precious and I have to read everything I wrote"

The film won the Best Adapted Screenplay Oscar for John Ridley's powerful and faithful adaptation of Northup's memoir. Ridley received acclaim from the audience for adapting Northup's memoir through his work that displayed authentic slavery brutality and emotionally truthful storytelling. Success came to the film because of extraordinary acting achievements combined with Steve McQueen's expert direction skills.

1. Conclave (2024)

Edward Berger directed this movie. The film presents the story from Robert Harris' 2016 book of the same name. Rainull Lawrence (played by Ralph Fiennes) takes charge as an enforcer of the secretive pope selection process after the passing of the former pontiff. Through his investigation, the Vatican meeting of cardinals forces Lawrence to discover a shocking church-breaking conspiracy.

The Academy honored Peter Straughan for his work in adapting the script because he maintained the intricate details and unpredictable twists from the novel in a successful adaptation. He delivered a screenplay masterpiece through its profound emotional content and compelling story framework based on religious power structures.

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The Best Adapted Screenplay categories continuously honored movies that successfully adapted books into extraordinary cinematic achievements. It is concluded that outstanding achievement exists in ten films that successfully converted challenging concepts and deep stories into premiere film material.

Audiences retained original perspectives from every modified screenplay. Both artistic excellence and adaptation power received acclaim at the Oscars from the organization because these works performed brilliantly as adapted films. The production companies continue to display the screenwriters' extraordinary storytelling ability through their released productions.