The Writers Guild of America, West (WGAW) and the Writers Guild of America, East (WGAE) have announced nominations for outstanding achievement in writing for the screen during 2010, and among the nominees is director Stanley Nelson for his documentary 'Freedom Riders.'

In 2010, Chris Rock's 'Good Hair' was nominated in the Documentary Writing section, and Geoffrey Fletcher received a nod in the Adapted Screenplay section for his screenplay for 'Precious,' which he won the Academy Award for.

'Freedom Riders,' which is Nelson's fourth film after 'A Place of Our Own,' 'The Murder of Emmett Till,' and 'The Black Press: Soldiers without Swords,' is set to air next year on May 16th on PBS. The film has been generating buzz since its showing at 2010 Sundance Film Festival.

"Veteran filmmaker Stanley Nelson's inspirational documentary is the first feature-length film about this courageous band of civil-rights activists. Gaining impressive access to influential figures on both sides of the issue, Nelson chronicles a chapter of American history that stands as an astonishing testament to the accomplishment of youth and what can result from the incredible combination of personal conviction and the courage to organize against all odds.

In 1961 segregation seemed to have an overwhelming grip on American society. Many states violently enforced the policy, while the federal government, under the Kennedy administration, remained indifferent, preoccupied with matters abroad. That is, until an integrated band of college students-many of whom were the first in their families to attend a university-decided, en masse, to risk everything and buy a ticket on a Greyhound bus bound for the Deep South. They called themselves the Freedom Riders, and they managed to bring the president and the entire American public face to face with the challenge of correcting civil-rights inequities that plagued the nation." [Synopsis courtesy of Sundance Film Festival]

This year's WGA nominees include:

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

'Black Swan,' Screenplay by Mark Heyman and Andres Heinz and John McLaughlin; Story by Andres Heinz; Fox Searchlight

'The Fighter,' Screenplay by Scott Silver and Paul Tamasy & Eric Johnson; Story by Keith Dorrington & Paul Tamasy & Eric Johnson; Paramount Pictures

'Inception,' Written by Christopher Nolan; Warner Bros.

'The Kids Are All Right,' Written by Lisa Cholodenko & Stuart Blumberg; Focus Features

'Please Give,' Written by Nicole Holofcener; Sony Pictures Classics

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

'127 Hours,' Screenplay by Danny Boyle & Simon Beaufoy; Based on the book Between a Rock and a Hard Place by Aron Ralston; Fox Searchlight

'I Love You Phillip Morris,' Written by John Requa & Glenn Ficarra; Based on the book by Steven McVicker; Roadside Attractions

'The Social Network,' Screenplay by Aaron Sorkin; Based on the book The Accidental Billionaires by Ben Mezrich; Sony Pictures

'The Town,' Screenplay by Peter Craig and Ben Affleck & Aaron Stockard; Based on the novel Prince of Thieves by Chuck Hogan; Warner Bros.

'True Grit,' Screenplay by Joel Coen & Ethan Coen; Based on the novel by Charles Portis; Paramount Pictures

DOCUMENTARY SCREENPLAY

'Enemies of the People,' Written, Directed, Filmed and Produced by Rob Lemkin and Thet Sambath; International Film Circuit

'Freedom Riders,' Written, Produced and Directed by Stanley Nelson; International Film Circuit

'Gasland,' Written and Directed by Josh Fox; HBO Documentary Films and International WOW Company

'Inside Job,' Produced, Written and Directed by Charles Ferguson; Co-written by Chad Beck, Adam Bolt; Sony Pictures Classics

'The Two Escobars,' Written by Michael Zimbalist, Jeff Zimbalist; ESPN Films

'Who Is Harry Nilsson (And Why Is Everybody Talkin' About Him)?,' Written and Directed by John Scheinfeld; Lorber Films

Documentaries eligible for a Writers Guild Award featured an onscreen writing credit and were exhibited theatrically in Los Angeles or New York for one week in 2010. While credited documentary writers were required to join the WGAW's Nonfiction Writers Caucus or WGAE Nonfiction Writers Caucus to be considered, scripts need not have been written under WGA jurisdiction to be considered.

The 2011 Writers Guild Awards will be held on Saturday, February 5, 2011, simultaneously at the Renaissance Hollywood Hotel-Grand Ballroom in Los Angeles and the AXA Equitable Center in New York City.