Two writers from the small Canadian city of London, Ontario won some some glory and some cash from the Humanitas Prize, as announced yesterday.
The Humanitas Prize is an annual screenwriter's award to recognize film and television writers who tell "stories that affirm the dignity of the human person, probe the meaning of life, and enlighten the use of human freedom."
In the feature film category, Crash — by Paul Haggis of London, Ontario and Bobby Moresco, not of London, Ontario — was cited “for its call to reach out with respect and compassion to all of our brothers and sisters,” and awarded $25,000. Though it won the Oscar for Best Picture, the film also had its detractors. At the Banff World Television Festival, Haggis said he was "telling fables. What pissed people off is I wasn't writing about animated characters with long floppy ears."
In the 60-minute television category, David Shore of House won $15,000 for the "Three Stories" episode, “for its poignant probe into the pain and confusion that comes when someone we love disappoints us.” While Shore has joked at the Banff festival — where both Haggis and Shore were also honoured — that it's annoying to be the second most successful writer from London, Ontario, he credits Haggis as a mentor who gave him his first staff writing job (Due South) and first executive producing job (Family Law).
Other people not from London, Ontario who won the Humanitas Award include Greg Garcia for the pilot of My Name is Earl (“for its light-hearted portrayal of how we can right our wrongs”) and Richard Curtis for the HBO movie The Girl in the Cafe ("for the clarion call to universal concern”).
Eleven winners split a total of $145,000 in prize money. Special awards were given to HBO Films president Colin Callender, who received the Kaiser Award for his vision and leadership, and the documentary An Inconvenient Truth, which chronicles former US Vice President Al Gore's commitment to the issue of global warming.
A full list of winners is on the Humanitas website.
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