noun
screenwriter; auteur
Refers to a person who writes film scripts, or more broadly a filmmaker with a strong personal creative vision (auteur). The auteur sense is more specialized and often used in film criticism.
彼は映画作家として、脚本だけでなく監督もこなす。
As an auteur, he not only writes scripts but also directs.
その映画作家は数々の名作を生み出した。
That screenwriter has produced many masterpieces.
脚本家 is the more common and neutral term for a scriptwriter, while 映画作家 can imply a more artistic or auteur-like role.
Compound of 映画 (eiga, 'film') and 作家 (sakka, 'writer' or 'author').