Philippa Boyens

Philippa Jane Boyens MNZM (born 1962) is a New Zealand screenwriter and film producer who 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. She, 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 also co-producer on every one of Jackson's films since King Kong, and on District 9. Prior to screen-writing, Boyens worked in theater as a playwright, teacher, producer, and editor. She also spent time as director of the New Zealand Writers Guild. 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. She received a Distinguished Alumni Award from the university in 2006.