Download 2020 Oscar Contender Screenplays

What screenplays are contenders for the 2020 Academy Awards?

Reading screenplays is by far the best screenwriting education that any screenwriter can receive.

The annual Academy Awards selects the best screenplays each year — and those choices are made by Academy members in the field of screenwriting.

The later months of the year — November and December — comprise Oscar season, where Academy members prepare to keep their eyes out for potential contenders.

Here we share an ongoing list of possible Oscar contenders for the Best Original Screenplay and Best Adapted Screenplay categories that you can download and study. We’ll update this list as more screenplays become available, especially leading up to  January when most are published online during the voting periods.

Note: Some screenplays are earlier drafts and don’t always reflect the final cut of the eventual films.  

Click on the Image to Download the Script

Ad Astra

Astronaut Roy McBride undertakes a mission across an unforgiving solar system to uncover the truth about his missing father and his doomed expedition that now, 30 years later, threatens the universe.

After the Wedding

A manager of an orphanage in Kolkata travels to New York to meet a benefactor.

Booksmart

On the eve of their high school graduation, two academic superstars and best friends realize they should have worked less and played more. Determined not to fall short of their peers, the girls try to cram four years of fun into one night.

Downton Abbey

The continuing story of the Crawley family, wealthy owners of a large estate in the English countryside in the early 20th century.

The Farewell

A Chinese family discovers their grandmother has only a short while left to live and decide to keep her in the dark, scheduling a wedding to gather before she dies.

Frankie

Three generations grappling with a life-changing experience during one day of a vacation in Sintra, Portugal, a historic town known for its dense gardens and fairy-tale villas and palaces.

Harriet

The extraordinary tale of Harriet Tubman’s escape from slavery and transformation into one of America’s greatest heroes, whose courage, ingenuity, and tenacity freed hundreds of slaves and changed the course of history.

Hustlers

Inspired by the viral New York Magazine article, Hustlers follows a crew of savvy former strip club employees who band together to turn the tables on their Wall Street clients.

JoJo Rabbit

A young boy in Hitler’s army finds out his mother is hiding a Jewish girl in their home.

Joker

In Gotham City, mentally-troubled comedian Arthur Fleck is disregarded and mistreated by society. He then embarks on a downward spiral of revolution and bloody crime. This path brings him face-to-face with his alter-ego: “The Joker”.

Knives Out

A detective investigates the death of a patriarch of an eccentric, combative family.

The Lighthouse

Two lighthouse keepers try to maintain their sanity while living on a remote and mysterious New England island in the 1890s.

Pain and Glory

A film director reflects on the choices he’s made in life as past and present come crashing down around him.

Rocketman

The Song of Names 

An emotional detective story spread over two continents and a half-century. Beneath the film’s stunning and pulsing musical revelations burn the horror of war and the lost souls extinguished from history.

Uncut Gems

A charismatic New York City jeweler always on the lookout for the next big score, makes a series of high-stakes bets that could lead to the windfall of a lifetime. Howard must perform a precarious high-wire act, balancing business, family, and encroaching adversaries on all sides, in his relentless pursuit of the ultimate win. 

Us

A family’s serene beach vacation turns to chaos when their doppelgängers appear and begin to terrorize them.

Waves

Traces the journey of a suburban family — led by a well-intentioned but domineering father — as they navigate love, forgiveness, and coming together in the aftermath of a loss.

Stay tuned for more Oscar-contenders! 

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