2012 Humanitas Prize – finalists

Thirty-five finalists in ten categories have been announced for 38th Annual Humanitas Prize which honours excellence in Film and Television writing of stories "which truly and deeply explore the human experience in a way that both entertains and enlightens."

The nominees for the Feature Film category were the Oscar-winning screenplay The Descendants by Alexander Payne, Jim Rash and Nat Faxon, as well as the films/screenplays Hugo, The Conspirator and Shame. As with most categories, the award comes with a cash prize of $10,000.

In the Sundance Feature Film Category for independent films, the nominees were Beasts of the Southern Wild, Luv and Middle of Nowhere. Documentary nominees were Buck, Crime After Crime, I Am, and Serving Life.

House creator and Executive Producer David Shore will be the inaugural recipient of the Goodbye with Love Humanitas Prize. “We developed the Goodbye with Love award to recognize the Herculean achievement of creating an enduring television series which, over the entire length of its run, consistently delivers powerful storytelling, vivid characters and insight into the human soul,” said Cathleen Young, Executive Director of Humanitas. “I can’t think of a more fitting first recipient than David Shore and House.”

London, Ontario-born David Shore developed the Canadian television series Traders and wrote for numerous series including Due South, NYPD Blue, The Practice, and Law & Order.

The winners will be announced at an annual luncheon to be held on Friday, September 14, 2012 at the Montage Beverly Hills.


Complete list of 38th Annual Humanitas Prize Finalists

Feature Film Category ($10,000)
HUGO Written by: John Logan
THE CONSPIRATOR Written by: James Solomon & Gregory Bernstein
THE DESCENDANTS Written by: Alexander Payne, Jim Rash & Nat Faxon
SHAME Written by: Steve McQueen & Abi Morgan

Sundance Feature Film Category ($10,000)
BEASTS OF THE SOUTHERN WILD Written by: Benh Zeitlin & Lucy Alibar
LUV Written by: Sheldon Candis & Justin Wilson
MIDDLE OF NOWHERE Written by: Ava DuVernay

Documentary Category ($5,000)
BUCK Directed by: Cindy Meehl
CRIME AFTER CRIME Written by: Yoav Potash
I AM Written by: Tom Shadyac
SERVING LIFE Written by: Lisa R. Cohen

90 Minute Category ($10,000)
BEYOND THE BLACKBOARD Written by: Camille Thomasson (Hallmark)
CINEMA VERITÉ Written by David Seltzer (HBO)
HAVE A LITTLE FAITH Written by: Mitch Albom (Hallmark)

60 Minute Category ($10,000)
BLUE BLOODS 'The Job' Written by: Brian Burns (CBS)
GREY'S ANATOMY 'White Wedding' Written by: Stacy McKee (ABC)
RESCUE ME 'Ashes' Written by: Denis Leary & Peter Tolan (FX)
PARENTHOOD 'Remember Me, I'm The One Who Loves You' Written by: Kerry Ehrin (NBC)

30 Minute Category ($10,000)
MODERN FAMILY 'Aunt Mommy' Written by: Abraham Higginbotham & Dan O'Shannon (ABC)
THE BIG C 'A Little Death' Written by: Jenny Bicks (Showtime)
THE MIDDLE 'The Map' Written by: Eileen Heisler & DeAnn Heline (ABC)

Children's Animation ($10,000)
POUND PUPPIES 'I Never Barked for my Father' Written by: Joe Ansolabehere (The Hub)

Children's Live Action ($10,000)
RADIO REBEL Written by: Erik Patterson & Jessica Scott (Disney Channel)

The David & Lynn Angell Fellowship in Comedy Writing ($10,000)
TAMLIN HALL University of California, Los Angeles, Department of Film and Television Original script of YOUNG "Pilot'

Fellowship in Dramatic Writing ($10,000)
CAITLIN PARRISH University of Southern California, School of Cinematic Arts Original script of PAINKILLER "Pilot"