Artistic Achievement Award recipient Gillian Flynn gave sage writing advice on the carpet, saying, “It is not writing if someone is scrolling around or just doing research. They need to write and find time to sit down to do it. The writer is in charge of making it fun and readers can tell when a writer is enjoying themselves versus formulaic steps. Even if someone thinks they will never use something, they should still write it down. I had written two books before Gone Girl came along, so don't stop writing!”
Flynn received her master's degree from Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism and other attendees had local ties to Chicago like filmmakers Alex Thompson and Kelly O'Sullivan, who took home the Vanguard Award.
O'Sullivan spoke candidly about feeling rewarded: “It can feel lonely when creating a film and we wondered if anyone would care about the film. To have this movie resonate with people means a lot as we go on.”
This led to her talking about the duo's latest work titled Mouse: “It's a 2002 period piece set in Arkansas, where I was born and raised. it is about female friendship and a mother/daughter relationship. It premiered in Berlin and I can't wait for more people to see it.”
