# Samy Burch

Samy Burch is an American screenwriter. She is known for writing May December (2023), which was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay.

## Early life and education

Burch was raised in West Los Angeles and attended the Archer School for Girls. She was exposed to the film industry at an early age through her parents; her mother worked in film casting while her father worked in film development. Her sister is singer Molly Burch.
In 2009, Burch graduated from the New York University Tisch School of the Arts with a bachelor's degree in Dramatic Writing.

## Career

Early in her career, Burch worked in casting, writing audition materials for actors. She also wrote and directed a series of short films with her now-husband, Alex Mechanik.
Burch completed the screenplay for May December, her first feature film, in 2019. The script was inspired by recollections of the 1990s tabloid culture of her youth, particularly the case of Mary Kay Letourneau. Director Todd Haynes first read the script in 2020 and the completed film premiered on May 20, 2023, at the 76th Cannes Film Festival.
Burch wrote the screenplay for the Warner Bros. family comedy movie Coyote vs. Acme, based on a 1990 Ian Frazier humor piece that first appeared in The New Yorker. It was shelved by Warner Bros. Discovery in November 2023, who reversed its decision a week later after public backlash, but in February 2024, was expected to be deleted and claimed as a tax write-off. On March 10, 2024, Burch told IndieWire at the 96th Academy Awards that the film might still be released and conversations were still ongoing.
In May 2024, Variety reported that Late Fame, a Kent Jones film starring Willem Dafoe with a screenplay by Burch, would begin shooting that fall in New York City.

## Personal life

In 2023, Burch married Alex Mechanik, with whom she developed the story for May December. The pair met while studying film at NYU and currently reside in Los Angeles.

## Filmography

| Year | Title | Notes |
| 2013 | All You Can Eat | Short film; Co-directed with Alex Mechanik |
| 2016 | Bev | Short film; Co-directed with Alex Mechanik |
| 2017 | Crown Prince | Short film; Co-directed with Alex Mechanik |
| 2023 | May December | Writer |
| 2026 | Coyote vs. Acme | Writer |
| TBA | Late Fame | Writer |

## Awards and nominations

| Year | Award | Category | Nominated work | Result |
| 2023 | New York Film Critics Circle | Best Screenplay | May December | Won |
| 2023 | Gotham Awards | Best Screenplay | May December | Nominated |
| 2023 | Boston Society of Film Critics | Best Screenplay | May December | Runner-up |
| 2023 | Los Angeles Film Critics Association | Best Screenplay | May December | Runner-up |
| 2023 | Chicago Film Critics Association | Best Original Screenplay | May December | Won |
| 2023 | Las Vegas Film Critics Society | Best Original Screenplay | May December | Nominated |
| 2023 | Boston Online Film Critics Association | Best Screenplay | May December | Won |
| 2023 | Indiana Film Journalists Association | Best Original Screenplay | May December | Runner-up |
| 2023 | San Diego Film Critics Society | Best Original Screenplay | May December | Nominated |
| 2023 | Online Association of Female Film Critics | Best Original Screenplay | May December | Runner-up |
| 2024 | Alliance of Women Film Journalists | Best Original Screenplay | May December | Nominated |
| 2024 | Alliance of Women Film Journalists | Best Female Screenwriter | May December | Nominated |
| 2024 | Columbus Film Critics Association | Best Original Screenplay | May December | Nominated |
| 2024 | Georgia Film Critics Association | Best Original Screenplay | May December | Nominated |
| 2024 | North Carolina Film Critics Association | Best Original Screenplay | May December | Nominated |
| 2024 | DiscussingFilm Critic Awards | Best Original Screenplay | May December | Won |
| 2024 | Greater Western New York Film Critics Association | Best Original Screenplay | May December | Nominated |
| 2024 | National Society of Film Critics | Best Screenplay | May December | Won |
| 2024 | Utah Film Critics Association | Best Original Screenplay | May December | Nominated |
| 2024 | Seattle Film Critics Society | Best Screenplay | May December | Nominated |
| 2024 | San Francisco Bay Area Film Critics Circle | Best Original Screenplay | May December | Nominated |
| 2024 | Austin Film Critics Association | Best Original Screenplay | May December | Nominated |
| 2024 | Denver Film Critics Society | Best Original Screenplay | May December | Nominated |
| 2024 | Critics' Choice Awards | Best Original Screenplay | May December | Nominated |
| 2024 | North Dakota Film Society | Best Screenplay | May December | Nominated |
| 2024 | Portland Critics Association | Best Screenplay | May December | Nominated |
| 2024 | Satellite Awards | Best Original Screenplay | May December | Nominated |
| 2024 | Independent Spirit Awards | Best First Screenplay | May December | Won |
| 2024 | Academy Awards | Best Original Screenplay | May December | Nominated |
| 2024 | Writers Guild of America Awards | Best Original Screenplay | May December | Nominated |