Maggie Gyllenhaal won the USC Libraries’ Scripter Award on Saturday (26.02.22) night.

The 44-year-old star scooped the coveted accolade for her adaptation of Netflix's 'The Lost Daughter', which is based on the novel of the same name by Elena Ferrante.

Maggie said: "“This award means so much for me because it is chosen and voted for by writers.

“Thank you for welcoming me so generously into your community. I know you are honouring my work and Elena Ferrante.”

The actress-and-director hailed the author as her "north star" for the project and said Elena had been a "truly wise and generous guide", even though they have never met.

She added: “She has been the North Star for me in my adaptation of the film from start to finish; she has been a truly wise and generous guide. Ferrante said the effort of adaptation requires not faithfulness but invention and often betrayal.

"In my betrayal, she and I have made something new together. It’s a love affair of the mind. It’s a cosmic, unconscious, dreamlike connection that I cherish.”

The accolade will now likely make Maggie favourite to take home the Best Adapted Screenplay honour at the upcoming Academy Awards as the Scripters are usually seen as a good measure of who will go on to enjoy Oscars success.

Danny Strong won the TV award for his work on the 'Dopesick' episode 'The People Vs. Purdue Pharma' and praised Hulu for taking a chance on the story of the OxyCotin epidemic, which is based on Beth Macy's non-fiction work 'Dopesick: Dealers, Doctors, and the Drug Company that Addicted America'.

He said as he accepted the award: “Nobody wanted to make the show. We got passed on by everyone but Hulu.”

'The Underground Railroad' filmmaker Barry Jenkins was honoured with the USC Libraries Literary Achievement Award for his contributions to cinematic storytelling, including his work on 2017 Scripter winner 'Moonlight' and 2019's shortlisted 'If Beale Street Could Talk'.

Both the original writers and those who adapted their material into scripts are honoured at the awards.