Manisha Korde, Robin Bhatt, Satyam Tripathy announce second SWA Awards event

The second edition of the Screen Writers Association (SWA) Awards, in association with Final Draft, is all set to take place in virtual fashion on 27 February.

SWA chairperson Manisha Korde, president Robin Bhatt and joint secretary Satyam Tripathy announced this today. The judges for the event will be announced on 14 February.

The SWA Awards are the only awards event in the country dedicated entirely to screenwriters and lyricists. This year, the event will be hosted by writer-actor Swanand Kirkire and actress-filmmaker Tisca Chopra.

“Rather than focusing mostly on a film’s box-office collection, star power, TRPs and popularity, SWA Awards give more emphasis to the craft of screenwriting. The awards will be given to the best writing in 15 categories for work released in calendar year 2020. Announced on 5 January 2021, the submissions for SWA Awards were closed on 7 March 2021,” a statement from the association said.

It added, “The theme of this year’s edition is equally unique as new-age storytellers will pay tribute to folk storytellers (folk artistes) of India (from Kashmir to Kanyakumari) by inviting them to showcase their performances from all four corners of the country on the awards night.”

Speaking of the second edition of the awards, Robin Bhatt said, “Fulfilling our promise even in such challenging times, we feel proud to present the second edition of SWA Awards, considered the most honest and earnest one. It gives an equal opportunity to an aspiring 20-year-old and an experienced 60-year-old to compete with each other and the only parameter to judge them is their writing ability and skill.”

Giving details about the ceremony, Manisha Korde said, “While folk artistes’ livelihood took a major setback because of the lockdown [in 2020], SWA has invited a handful of them for this year’s ceremony showcasing our solidarity and support. Interestingly, a big gang of collaborators worked selflessly to reach the interiors of the country to discover the finest of artistes, crossing the hurdles of language and COVID restrictions.” 

She added, “The whole world’s sanity was poised on the tip of writers’ pen during the lockdown. When trauma ruled the world, dramas created by writers offered the escape just needed, so that people resume their daily struggles with renewed zeal. It’s time to salute those magicians.” 

Satyam Tripathy said, “Going by the real meaning of the popular song ‘Sathi Haath Badhana’, almost 1000 screenwriters and lyricists have come together to create the second edition of our prestigious awards. I can actually feel the ripples of excitement in the industry around SWA Awards.”

Apart from films and television shows, the awards also cover web-series and web movies.  

The event will be streamed live on SWA’s official YouTube channel and Facebook page.

Correction, 2020 IST: An earlier version of the report said Manisha Korde, Robin Bhatt and Satyam Tripathy would be the judges for the event. The judges are yet to be announced.