Oscar-nominated screenwriters share secrets from their scripts

In the lead-up to Sunday’s Oscars, EW has chatted with many of the writers nominated in the Best Original and Best Adapted Screenplay categories, and each walked us through a pivotal scene from their respective films.

In some cases, the pages were their most challenging. In others, their favorite. But every scene plays a special role in the movies named the year’s best by the Academy.

You can find a link to each of our nominated screenplay breakdowns in the list below — click each one to read more on that film.

Manchester by the Sea writer-director breaks down pivotal scene

Hell or High Water writer explains the film’s ambiguous ending

20th Century Women writer-director explains script’s unusual format

How Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling helped write their La La Land fight

Hidden Figures writers analyze Janelle Monáe’s triumphant scene

Lion writer breaks down Nicole Kidman’s most emotional scene

How the ‘Arrival’ screenwriter turned sentence structure into suspense

Moonlight director shares secrets from its most suspenseful scene