Steven Ernest Bernard Zaillian (born January 30, 1953) is an American screenwriter, director, film editor, producer, and founder of Film Rites, a film production company. He won an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award and a BAFTA Award for his screenplay Schindler's List and he has been nominated for Awakenings, Gangs of New York and Moneyball. He was also presented with the Distinguished Screenwriter Award at the 2009 Austin Film Festival and the Laurel Award for Screenwriting Achievement from the Writers Guild of America in 2011.Zaillian was born in Fresno, California, the son of Jim Zaillian, a radio news reporter. He attended Sonoma State University, graduated from San Francisco State University and lives in Los Angeles. He is of Armenian descent.
| # | Quote |
|---|
| 1 | The main thing that I learned from editing is that most people, when they're making a film, they start too early into the story. They will try to set up the characters, they will try to establish things before the plot actually starts. |
| 2 | I'm not one of those people who writes long soliloquies. |
| 3 | I have no problem with anyone being precise about small things. |
| 4 | People who would go to an arthouse cinema and watch a Swedish movie and read subtitles... it's a small percentage. |
| 5 | I find that most of my scripts have a lot more scenes than most films, so the average movie might have 100 scenes, my average script has 300 scenes. |
| 6 | The similarity between the big directors I've worked with is that they allow the writer to find a way of doing what they want done without saying 'do it this way.' They describe what they want, then letting the writer figure out a way to do it. |
| Year | Award | Ceremony | Nomination | Movie |
|---|
| 2012 | EDA Award | Alliance of Women Film Journalists | Best Writing, Adapted Screenplay | Moneyball (2011) |
| 2012 | Critics Choice Award | Broadcast Film Critics Association Awards | Best Adapted Screenplay | Moneyball (2011) |
| 2012 | COFCA Award | Central Ohio Film Critics Association | Best Adapted Screenplay | The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011) |
| 2012 | GFCA Award | Georgia Film Critics Association (GFCA) | Best Adapted Screenplay | Moneyball (2011) |
| 2012 | Gold Derby Award | Gold Derby Awards | Adapted Screenplay | Moneyball (2011) |
| 2012 | TFCA Award | Toronto Film Critics Association Awards | Best Screenplay | Moneyball (2011) |
| 2011 | ACCA | Awards Circuit Community Awards | Best Adapted Screenplay | Moneyball (2011) |
| 2011 | BSFC Award | Boston Society of Film Critics Awards | Best Screenplay | Moneyball (2011) |
| 2011 | CFCA Award | Chicago Film Critics Association Awards | Best Screenplay, Adapted | Moneyball (2011) |
| 2011 | KCFCC Award | Kansas City Film Critics Circle Awards | Best Screenplay, Adapted | Moneyball (2011) |
| 2011 | Sierra Award | Las Vegas Film Critics Society Awards | Best Screenplay | Moneyball (2011) |
| 2011 | NYFCC Award | New York Film Critics Circle Awards | Best Screenplay | Moneyball (2011) |
| 2011 | OFCC Award | Oklahoma Film Critics Circle Awards | Best Adapted Screenplay | Moneyball (2011) |
| 2011 | SDFCS Award | San Diego Film Critics Society Awards | Best Screenplay, Adapted | Moneyball (2011) |
| 2011 | Laurel Award for Screen Writing Achievement | Writers Guild of America, USA | | |
| 2009 | Distinguished Screenwriter Award | Austin Film Festival | | |
| 2007 | Capri Legend Award | Capri, Hollywood | | |
| 1999 | USC Scripter Award | USC Scripter Award | | A Civil Action (1998) |
| 1994 | Oscar | Academy Awards, USA | Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material Previously Produced or Published | Schindler's List (1993) |
| 1994 | Golden Globe | Golden Globes, USA | Best Screenplay - Motion Picture | Schindler's List (1993) |
| 1994 | BAFTA Film Award | BAFTA Awards | Best Screenplay - Adapted | Schindler's List (1993) |
| 1994 | CFCA Award | Chicago Film Critics Association Awards | Best Screenplay | Schindler's List (1993) |
| 1994 | DFWFCA Award | Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics Association Awards | Best Screenplay | Schindler's List (1993) |
| 1994 | Humanitas Prize | Humanitas Prize | Feature Film Category | Schindler's List (1993) |
| 1994 | MTV Movie Award | MTV Movie Awards | Best New Filmmaker | Searching for Bobby Fischer (1993) |
| 1994 | Literary Award | PEN Center USA West Literary Awards | Screenplay | Schindler's List (1993) |
| 1994 | ShoWest Award | ShoWest Convention, USA | Screenwriter of the Year | |
| 1994 | USC Scripter Award | USC Scripter Award | | Schindler's List (1993) |
| 1994 | WGA Award (Screen) | Writers Guild of America, USA | Best Screenplay Based on Material Previously Produced or Published | Schindler's List (1993) |
| 1993 | Special Jury Prize | Tokyo International Film Festival | | Searching for Bobby Fischer (1993) |
| 1991 | USC Scripter Award | USC Scripter Award | | Awakenings (1990) |
| Year | Award | Ceremony | Nomination | Movie |
|---|
| 2012 | Oscar | Academy Awards, USA | Best Writing, Adapted Screenplay | Moneyball (2011) |
| 2012 | Golden Globe | Golden Globes, USA | Best Screenplay - Motion Picture | Moneyball (2011) |
| 2012 | BAFTA Film Award | BAFTA Awards | Best Adapted Screenplay | Moneyball (2011) |
| 2012 | Movies for Grownups Award | AARP Movies for Grownups Awards | Best Screenwriter | Moneyball (2011) |
| 2012 | AACTA International Award | Australian Film Institute | Best Screenplay | Moneyball (2011) |
| 2012 | ICS Award | International Cinephile Society Awards | Best Adapted Screenplay | Moneyball (2011) |
| 2012 | OFTA Film Award | Online Film & Television Association | Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium | The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011) |
| 2012 | OFTA Film Award | Online Film & Television Association | Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium | Moneyball (2011) |
| 2012 | OFCS Award | Online Film Critics Society Awards | Best Adapted Screenplay | Moneyball (2011) |
| 2012 | USC Scripter Award | USC Scripter Award | | Moneyball (2011) |
| 2012 | VFCC Award | Vancouver Film Critics Circle | Best Screenplay | Moneyball (2011) |
| 2012 | WGA Award (Screen) | Writers Guild of America, USA | Best Adapted Screenplay | The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011) |
| 2012 | WGA Award (Screen) | Writers Guild of America, USA | Best Adapted Screenplay | Moneyball (2011) |
| 2011 | ACCA | Awards Circuit Community Awards | Best Adapted Screenplay | The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011) |
| 2011 | DFCS Award | Denver Film Critics Society | Best Writing, Screenplay - Original/Adapted | Moneyball (2011) |
| 2011 | Golden Schmoes | Golden Schmoes Awards | Best Screenplay of the Year | The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011) |
| 2011 | Golden Schmoes | Golden Schmoes Awards | Best Screenplay of the Year | Moneyball (2011) |
| 2011 | Satellite Award | Satellite Awards | Best Screenplay, Adapted | Moneyball (2011) |
| 2011 | VVFP Award | Village Voice Film Poll | Best Screenplay | Moneyball (2011) |
| 2011 | WAFCA Award | Washington DC Area Film Critics Association Awards | Best Adapted Screenplay | Moneyball (2011) |
| 2008 | BAFTA Film Award | BAFTA Awards | Best Screenplay - Original | American Gangster (2007) |
| 2008 | Movies for Grownups Award | AARP Movies for Grownups Awards | Best Screenwriter | American Gangster (2007) |
| 2008 | Image Award | Image Awards | Outstanding Writing in a Motion Picture (Theatrical or Television) | American Gangster (2007) |
| 2003 | Oscar | Academy Awards, USA | Best Writing, Original Screenplay | Gangs of New York (2002) |
| 2003 | BAFTA Film Award | BAFTA Awards | Best Screenplay - Original | Gangs of New York (2002) |
| 2003 | Edgar | Edgar Allan Poe Awards | Best Motion Picture | Gangs of New York (2002) |
| 2003 | Gold Derby Award | Gold Derby Awards | Original Screenplay | Gangs of New York (2002) |
| 2003 | IOMA | Italian Online Movie Awards (IOMA) | Best Screenplay (Miglior sceneggiatura) | Gangs of New York (2002) |
| 2003 | WGA Award (Screen) | Writers Guild of America, USA | Best Original Screenplay | Gangs of New York (2002) |
| 2002 | ACCA | Awards Circuit Community Awards | Best Original Screenplay | Gangs of New York (2002) |
| 1999 | Humanitas Prize | Humanitas Prize | Feature Film Category | A Civil Action (1998) |
| 1999 | WGA Award (Screen) | Writers Guild of America, USA | Best Screenplay Based on Material Previously Produced or Published | A Civil Action (1998) |
| 1997 | Razzie Award | Razzie Awards | Worst Written Film Grossing Over $100 Million | Mission: Impossible (1996) |
| 1994 | CFCA Award | Chicago Film Critics Association Awards | Best Screenplay | Searching for Bobby Fischer (1993) |
| 1994 | Humanitas Prize | Humanitas Prize | Feature Film Category | Searching for Bobby Fischer (1993) |
| 1994 | USC Scripter Award | USC Scripter Award | | Searching for Bobby Fischer (1993) |
| 1993 | Tokyo Grand Prix | Tokyo International Film Festival | | Searching for Bobby Fischer (1993) |
| 1991 | Oscar | Academy Awards, USA | Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium | Awakenings (1990) |
| 1991 | WGA Award (Screen) | Writers Guild of America, USA | Best Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium | Awakenings (1990) |
ncG1vNJzZmimlanEsL7Toaeoq6RjvLOzjqecrWWnpL%2B1tI6sq56ulaN6u63IpaOimZ5iu6bAjLCmq6yYZA%3D%3D