Philippa Boyens
Philippa Jane Boyens is a New Zealand screenwriter who co-wrote the screenplay for The Lord of the Rings series, King Kong, The Lovely Bones, and the three-part film series ''The Hobbit.''
Biography
Born in 1962, Boyens is the daughter of John Fraser Boyens and Jane Moana Menhennet. She was educated at Massey High School, and was later a part-time student at the University of Auckland, graduating with a BA in English and history in 1994. After that Boyens joined a theatre company and her wages were paid by the government in a PEP scheme.Boyens received a Distinguished Alumni Award from the University and Auckland in 2006.
Boyens co-wrote the screenplay for Peter Jackson's films The Lord of the Rings series, King Kong, The Lovely Bones, and the three-part film The Hobbit, all with Jackson and Fran Walsh.
Boyens, Jackson, and Walsh won the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay for The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King at the 76th Academy Awards in 2004. She was co-producer on every one of Jackson's films since King Kong, and on District 9. Prior to screen-writing, Boyens worked in theatre as a playwright, teacher, producer, and editor.
Boyens was director of the New Zealand Writers Guild for a time.