The two writer boys from London, Ontario won some cold, hard cash and some glory from the Humanitas Prize today.
In the feature film category, Crash by Paul Haggis and Bobby Moresco (who is not from London, Ontario, thus ruining my little tie-in) was cited “for its call to reach out with respect and compassion to all of our brothers and sisters.” 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." The Humanitas people don't seem too pissed.
In the 60-minute television category, David Shore of House won for the "Three Stories" episode, “for its poignant probe into the pain and confusion that comes when someone we love disappoints us.” Shore said nothing about "Three Stories" at the festival, but he did joke it was annoying to be the second most successful writer from London, Ontario. However, since Haggis gave him his first staff writing job (Due South), first executive producing job (Family Law), and he said he felt lucky to be hired by that someone that smart he could learn from, I'm guessing he's not too bitter at being in his shadow.
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”). A full list of winners is on the Humanitas website.
