UCL grad nominated for Oscar

He wrote ‘Bridge of Spies’


PR busy-bodies in the UCL press office are celebrating today following UCL Alumnus Matt Charman’s Oscar Nomination for Best Original Screenplay.

The 36 year-old began his career in theatre, writing scripts for The Five Wives of Maurice and A Night of the Dogs  back in 2004, which bagged him the Verity Bargate Award at the Soho Theatre.

Later moving onto screen-writing, he wrote the 2015 film Suite Française starring Michelle Williams and Kristen Scott-Thomas, however, Bridge of Spies, directed by Steven Spielberg and starring Tom Hanks, is the jewel in his crown.

With the potential Oscar win hanging in the midst, Matt is finding it all very surreal, telling the Evening Standard: “I do wake up a lot of mornings and there’s a moment before I realise that I’ve written a movie that Spielberg has directed.

“It does feel impossible. It honestly does. It feels ridiculous.”

Matt was back at UCL recently, he hosted an event for the UCLU  Film Society back in March 2015, where he shared his experience with others who want to follow in his footsteps.

The Oscars will take place on February 28th and Matt will be battling the likes of ‘Spotlight’, ‘Ex Machina’ and ‘Straight Outta Compton’ for the coveted Academy Award.