Celine Song

2026 Winner in
Drama

Celine Song is an Academy Award-nominated screenwriter and filmmaker whose signature blend of emotional depth, intelligence, and humor has established her as an essential voice in today’s entertainment landscape. 

Most recently, Song presented her highly anticipated sophomore feature, MATERIALISTS, which was released internationally on June 13 through A24 and Sony Pictures. Written, directed, and produced by Song, the film follows Lucy (Dakota Johnson), a young, ambitious New York City matchmaker torn between the perfect match (Pedro Pascal) and her imperfect ex (Chris Evans). 

Released by A24 in Summer 2023 following its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival, Song's feature debut PAST LIVES has received widespread critical acclaim. The film earned Academy Award® nominations for Best Original Screenplay and Best Picture, alongside numerous other honors including the Directors Guild Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in First-Time Feature Film, Best Feature Film at the 2023 Gotham Awards, the Film Independent Spirit Award for both Best Picture and Best Director, as well as Golden Globe®, Critics’ Choice, and BAFTA nominations. 

As a playwright, Song is best known for ENDLINGS, which premiered in 2019 at American Repertory Theater and had its New York debut in 2020 at New York Theatre Workshop. She has been a finalist for the Susan Smith Blackburn Prize and a semifinalist for the American Playwriting Foundation's Relentless Award. During New York Theatre Workshop’s virtual 2020 season, she presented THE SEAGULL ON THE SIMS 4 live on Twitch. Song also wrote on the first season of Amazon series THE WHEEL OF TIME.

Photo Credit:
Matthew Dunivan

Selected Works

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From the Selection Committee

Celine Song pushes the bounds of theater with her moving excavation of humanity and love. She peels away historical narrative, challenging audiences to explore what stories remain below the surface, what art is staged, and who gets to tell the story on their own terms. Song writes with an adept eye and ear, examining time and rendering the choral and communal, the singularity of human life.