Power of the Dog brings Oscar auspices to MA Screenwriting

Tanya Seghatchian could be taking home a coveted statuette for Best Picture at the 2022 Academy Awards, bringing Oscar gold tantalisingly close to the unique MA Screenwriting course she co-established at The University of Manchester. 

Seghatchian is one of the producers of The Power of the Dog, which has been nominated for 12 of film’s most prestigious accolades.  

She produced the film alongside writer, director and producer Jane Campion, as well as Emile Sherman, Iain Canning and Roger Frappier. 

“We were clear that our intention was to make a film that had cinematic ambition,” she told Screen Daily in an interview last year. “Working with great filmmakers is what inspires me, and Jane was everything I could have dreamed she would be.” 

The Western production is an adaptation of a 1967 novel of the same name by Thomas Savage. It tells the story of a strong-willed rancher and stars some of film’s biggest names including Benedict Cumberbatch, Kirsten Dunst and Jesse Plemons.  

The 94^th Academy Awards ceremony will take place on 27 March 2022, where The Power of the Dog is nominated in arguably the most talked-about categories including Best Picture, Director, Writer, Actor in a Leading Role and Actress in a Leading Role.  

Image left to right: Tanya Seghatchian, Jane Campion and Kirsten Dunst.