Screenplay by Alexander Payne and Nat Faxon & Jim Rash
Writing (Adapted Screenplay) /
The Descendants
Film Synopsis
The complexities of life, death and family relations challenge a man faced with losing his wife. When Elizabeth King is left comatose following an accident, her husband Matt finds himself thrust into the unfamiliar role of caregiver to their two daughters, while at the same time facing a difficult financial decision that may put him at odds with other family members.
Photos
Academy Awards History
Including his nominations this year for Directing and Best Picture for THE DESCENDANTS, this is the sixth Academy Award nomination for Alexander Payne. He was previously nominated for:
SIDEWAYS (2004)
Nominee, Directing
SIDEWAYS (2004)
Winner, Writing (Adapted)
ELECTION (1999)
Nominee, Writing (Adapted)
These are the first Academy Award nominations for Nat Faxon and Jim Rash.
Alexander Payne: This is Jim and this is Nat. I’m Alexander. We bow to our fellow nominees. Help, stop the counter. We bow to our fellow nominees. We want to thank Fox Searchlight and producer Jim Burke for all their good works. We share this with George Clooney and the rest of the cast for interpreting our screenplay so generously. And we also share it in particular with Kaui Hart Hemmings, our beautiful Hawaiian flower for her novel. And on a brief personal note, if I may, my mother is here with me from Omaha and, hold the applause, and after watching the show a few years ago she made me promise that if I ever won another Oscar, I had to dedicate it to her just like Javier Bardem did with his mother. So Mom, this one’s for you [Greek]. And thanks for letting me skip nursery school so we could go to the movies. Thanks a lot.
Other Nominees /
Writing (Adapted Screenplay)
