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'American Fiction' Wins Best Screenplay Oscar in a Surprise Upset Over 'Barbie,' 'Oppenheimer' and More

Director Cord Jefferson called for Hollywood to 'recognize' new creatives who could be 'the next Martin Scorsese.'

The writer and filmmaker's feature film debut, American Fiction, nabbed the Academy Award for Adapted Screenplay, beating out predicted front runners such as Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer, Greta Gerwig and Noah Baumbach's Barbie and Tony McNamara's adaptation of Poor Things. Based on Percival Everett’s 2001 novel Erasure, the film stars Jeffrey Wright as Thelonious "Monk" Ellison, an author who grows frustrated that his books don't sell while other Black writers who indulge in stereotypes perform better. Jefferson concluded his speech with one last message of gratitude, saying, "Thank you all who worked on this movie for trusting a 40-year-old Black guy who's never directed before, I love you all."

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