'The Black List'

What It Is

In 2005, young film executive Franklin Leonard was frustrated that great scripts sat unread in Hollywood offices. He emailed other executives and asked them to name their favorite unproduced screenplays of the year. He combined their answers into a single ranked list and sent it back to everyone who had replied. That list, called the Black List, became an annual tradition and one of the film industry's most influential documents. Studios and producers now watch for it every year, and the survey has grown from about a hundred participants to roughly five hundred executives. Hundreds of scripts that appeared on the list have gone on to be produced, including the Best Picture winners Slumdog Millionaire, The King's Speech, Argo, and Spotlight. In 2012, the Black List launched a website where any writer can upload a screenplay for a fee and have it read and rated by professional readers.

Why It Matters

The Black List changed what it means to "break in" as a screenwriter. Before it existed, a script's fate often depended on who the writer knew. The list created a way for a brilliant screenplay to get noticed on its merits, and the website opened that door further to writers with no connections at all. It also demonstrated something important about the profession: the screenplay is where a film truly begins, and an industry that reads more scripts makes better movies. For young writers, the Black List reminds them that the work itself can find its audience, and that a single good idea, well executed on the page, can travel a long way.