Emerald Fennell, director and writer of rape-revenge satire Promising Young Woman, has won the best original screenplay Oscar at the 93rd Academy Awards in Los Angeles.

Promising Young Woman is Fennell’s feature debut, and stars Carey Mulligan as a woman attempting to take revenge for the rape of her best friend in college. Fennell was previously best known as an actor, playing Camilla Parker Bowles in the Netflix series The Crown, and working as head writer on the second series of Killing Eve.

Fennell was considered a strong favourite for the award, having already won the Bafta and Writers Guild award for best original screenplay. However, she had to overcome a line-up including Aaron Sorkin (The Trial of the Chicago 7) and Lee Isaac Chung (Minari).

“He’s so heavy and so cold,” said Fennell as she accepted the Oscar from Regina King.

In an emotional speech, Fennell apologised to Oscars producer Steven Soderbergh for not having written a speech, saying the only one she had written was when she was 10 and much of it was no longer relevant.

She also thanked leading actor Carey Mulligan, calling her “not only the most talented person in the world but also the kindest and funniest”. She also thanked her family and her young son, who arrived “two weeks after shooting, thank God. I was crossing my legs.”