| Word Wars | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | Eric Chaikin Julian Petrillo |
| Produced by | Eric Chaikin |
| Starring | Joe Edley Matt Graham Marlon Hill Joel Sherman |
| Cinematography | Laela Kilbourn |
| Edited by | Conor O'Neill |
| Music by | Thor Madsen |
| Distributed by | 7th Art Releasing |
Release date |
|
Running time | 80 minutes |
| Language | English |
Word Wars: Tiles and Tribulations on the Scrabble Circuit is a 2004 American documentary film directed by Eric Chaikin and Julian Petrillo about competitive Scrabble.[1] The film was an official selection at the 2004 Sundance film festival,[2] 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, as does Chaikin, also appear in Stefan Fatsis's book Word Freak. Fatsis and Chaikin are both tournament Scrabble players themselves.[3]
- ^ AP via MSNBC "Film profiles the culture of Scrabble" August 16, 2004
- ^ USA Today "Sundance announces portion of 2004 lineup" 2 December 2003
- ^ The Washington Times "Fightin' words spur vivid documentary" page M24 accessed via Ebbsco's Australia New Zealand Reference Centre 20 June 2007