"Academy Award-winning movies are remembered long after Oscar night for their stellar performances, their breathtaking beauty, and their transcendent scenes. But before any of these films were directed, lit, performed, or edited, they needed to be written. Screenwriting is, arguably, the most important and underrated role in Hollywood. Now Joel Engel brings together interviews with the best screenwriters working today, each of whom has won an Academy Award for his work and each of whom shares a wealth of knowledge, insight, and experience about this little-understood facet of moviemaking. In their essays, writers such as Tom Schulman (Dead Poet's Society), Michael Blake (Dances With Wolves), and many others explore and explain their craft and technique. Anyone interested in writing, making, or learning about movies will enjoy this behind-the-scenes compilation of wisdom and advice from Hollywood's natural-born storytellers."--BOOK JACKET.