John C. Richards

John C. Richards is originally from Rochester, New York. After living in Canada and New Orleans, he moved to Los Angeles to begin his career as a writer. One of his short stories was the genesis of the screenplay for the film, "Nurse Betty," which captured the Best Screenplay Award at the Cannes Film Festival. The only American film to win an award that year, "Nurse Betty" was also nominated for an Edgar. Renée Zellweger won a Golden Globe for her work in the title role. Richards wrote the voiceover narration (uncredited) in "American History 'X,'" directed by Tony Kaye, and the screenplay adaptation of Clive Cussler's novel, "Sahara" which starred Matthew McConaughey and Penelope Cruz, directed by Breck Eisner. His feature-length adaptations also include "Vivo," from Louis de Berniere's novel "Señor Vivo and the Coca Lord," and Elmore Leonard's "Tishomingo Blues." In 2018 he was nominated for a Writer's Guild Award (Long form) for "Paterno." Produced by HBO, "Paterno" is the story of the fall of Penn State coaching legend Joe Paterno, which starred Al Pacino and was directed by Barry Levinson. In 2022 Richards directed the short film, "The Picnic Basket," which won the 2023 Gold Remi Award for Best Narrative Short at the Worldfest Houston International Film Festival.