Word Wars
Encyclopedia
Word Wars is a 2004
documentary film
directed by Eric Chaikin and Julian Petrillo about competitive Scrabble
playing.
Its full title is: Word Wars - Tiles and Tribulations on the Scrabble Circuit. The film was an official selection at the 2004 Sundance film festival
, had a 25-city theatrical run, was included as part of the Discovery Times Channel's "Screening Room" series, and was nominated for numerous awards including a 2004 Documentary Emmy for "Best Artistic or Cultural Programming" and an International Documentary Association (IDA) Award. The film is distributed by 7th Art Releasing.
The film follows four players in the nine months leading up to the 2002 National Scrabble Championship, which was held in San Diego, California
: Joe Edley
, Matt Graham, Marlon Hill, and Joel Sherman
. These players also appear in Stefan Fatsis
's book Word Freak
, as does Chaikin. Fatsis and Chaikin are both tournament Scrabble players themselves.
2004 in film
The year 2004 in film involved some significant events. Major releases of sequels took place. It included blockbuster films like Shrek 2, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, The Passion of the Christ, Meet the Fockers, Blade: Trinity, Spider-Man 2, Alien vs. Predator, Kill Bill Vol...
documentary film
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
directed by Eric Chaikin and Julian Petrillo about competitive Scrabble
Scrabble
Scrabble is a word game in which two to four players score points by forming words from individual lettered tiles on a game board marked with a 15-by-15 grid. The words are formed across and down in crossword fashion and must appear in a standard dictionary. Official reference works provide a list...
playing.
Its full title is: Word Wars - Tiles and Tribulations on the Scrabble Circuit. The film was an official selection at the 2004 Sundance film festival
Sundance Film Festival
The Sundance Film Festival is a film festival that takes place annually in Utah, in the United States. It is the largest independent cinema festival in the United States. Held in January in Park City, Salt Lake City, and Ogden, as well as at the Sundance Resort, the festival is a showcase for new...
, had a 25-city theatrical run, was included as part of the Discovery Times Channel's "Screening Room" series, and was nominated for numerous awards including a 2004 Documentary Emmy for "Best Artistic or Cultural Programming" and an International Documentary Association (IDA) Award. The film is distributed by 7th Art Releasing.
The film follows four players in the nine months leading up to the 2002 National Scrabble Championship, which was held in San Diego, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
: Joe Edley
Joe Edley
Joseph Edley is a professional Scrabble player and author, and the first player to win the National Scrabble Championship three times.-Pre-Scrabble life:...
, Matt Graham, Marlon Hill, and Joel Sherman
Joel Sherman
Joel Sherman , nicknamed "GI Joel", is a top American Scrabble expert and former world champion. He is chronicled in Stefan Fatsis's book Word Freak, in Eric Chaikin's film Word Wars, and in Scott Petersen's film Scrabylon. He is also mentioned in Collins Gem's reference book...
. These players also appear in Stefan Fatsis
Stefan Fatsis
Stefan Fatsis is an author and journalist. He regularly appears as a guest on National Public Radio's All Things Considered daily radio news program and as a panelist on Slate's sports podcast Hang Up and Listen. He is a former staff reporter for The Wall Street Journal.-Biography:Fatsis grew up...
's book Word Freak
Word Freak (book)
Word Freak is a non-fiction narrative by Stefan Fatsis published in 2001 .The book is subtitled Heartbreak, Triumph, Genius, and Obsession in the World of Competitive SCRABBLE Players...
, as does Chaikin. Fatsis and Chaikin are both tournament Scrabble players themselves.
Soundtrack
- E Wolf & the Moneylenders - "Paralyzed" (Written by Chalkin & Haber)
- Your Mom - "The One" (Written by Your Mom)
- The Minutemen - "Do You Want New Wave (Or Do You Want the Truth)" (Written by Mike Watt)
- The Minutemen - "The Glory of Man" (Written by Mike Watt)
- Andrew Chalkin & Austin Willacy - "Across the UniverseAcross the Universe"Across the Universe" is a song by the English group The Beatles. It was written by John Lennon, and credited to Lennon–McCartney. The song first appeared on the various artists charity compilation album No One's Gonna Change Our World in December 1969, and later, in different form, on Let It Be,...
" (Written by John LennonJohn LennonJohn Winston Lennon, MBE was an English musician and singer-songwriter who rose to worldwide fame as one of the founding members of The Beatles, one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music...
and Paul McCartneyPaul McCartneySir James Paul McCartney, MBE, Hon RAM, FRCM is an English musician, singer-songwriter and composer. Formerly of The Beatles and Wings , McCartney is listed in Guinness World Records as the "most successful musician and composer in popular music history", with 60 gold discs and sales of 100...
) - Joel Sherman - "Across the Universe" (Written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney)