31 Television, Documentary and Independent Film Finalists Announced for 43rd Annual HUMANITAS Prize™

LOS ANGELES, Jan. 10, 2018 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Thirty-one writers in six television, documentary and independent feature film categories have been named finalists for the 43^rd Annual HUMANITAS Prize, it was announced today by HUMANITAS Executive Director Cathleen Young and President Ali LeRoi. The writers are nominated for their work in the 30-Minute, 60-Minute, Children's Animation, Children's Live Action, Sundance Feature Film and Documentary categories. Winners will be announced at the annual HUMANITAS Prize event on Friday, February 16, 2018 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills.

"In the past few years we have experienced a spectacular renaissance of television and documentary filmmaking," observed LeRoi. "There is an embarrassment of riches in terms of both the quality and quantity of work, so choosing these finalists from among the wealth of notable submissions we received this year was a challenge — albeit a wonderful one."

"Whether it's a deep documentary dive into a challenging subject, a hilarious half-hour sitcom episode or a heartfelt independent feature, all of the finalists used their craft to create work that is both entertaining and enlightening," added Young. "Television and film have incredible power when it comes to inspiring empathy, compassion, forgiveness and reason, and we are proud to support work that strives to do just that."

The HUMANITAS Prize was created to honor film and television writers whose work inspires compassion, hope and understanding in the human family. Since its inception in 1974, The HUMANITAS Prize has awarded over $3 million to more than 360 deserving television and motion picture writers whose work affirms the dignity of the human person, probes the meaning of life, and enlightens the use of human freedom.

The HUMANITAS Prize television and documentary finalists are:

Documentary Category
CRIES FROM SYRIA Directed by Evgeny Afineevsky
HUMAN FLOW Directed by Ai Weiwei, Written by Chin-Chin Yap, Tim Finch & Boris Cheshirkov
HEARING IS BELIEVING Directed by Lorenzo DeStefano 
ONE OF US Directed by Rachel Grady & Heidi Ewing

Sundance Feature Film Category
CROWN HEIGHTS Written by Matt Ruskin 
GOOK Written by Justin Chon
NOVITIATE Written by Margaret Betts

30-Minute Category
BLACK-ISH "Lemons" Written by Kenya Barris
THE BIG BANG THEORY "Long Distance Dissonance" Teleplay by Chuck Lorre & Steve Holland & Tara Hernandez, Story by Steven Molaro & Eric Kaplan & Jim Reynolds
WILL & GRACE "Grandpa Jack" Written by Alex Herschlag

60-Minute Category
GAME OF THRONES "The Dragon and the Wolf" Written by David Benioff & D. B. Weiss
MADAM SECRETARY "Good Bones" Written by Joy Gregory
THE GOOD DOCTOR "Pilot" Teleplay by David Shore

Children's Live Action Category
AN AMERICAN GIRL STORY "Ivy & Julie 1976: A Happy Balance" Written by May Chan
DEGRASSI: NEXT CLASS "#ImSleep" Written by Matt Huether
SESAME STREET "The Magical Wand Chase: A Sesame Street Special" Written by Ken Scarborough, Raye Lankford, and Jessica Carleton

Children's Animation Category
DOC MCSTUFFINS "Hannah the Brave" Written by Kerri Grant 
SOFIA THE FIRST "The Crown of Blossoms" Written by Craig Carlisle
SPLASH AND BUBBLES "Pearlene" Written by Michael Foulke

About The HUMANITAS Prize
HUMANITAS exists to encourage, stimulate and sustain the nation's screenwriters in their humanizing task, and to give them the recognition they deserve.

The HUMANITAS Prize is funded by an endowment established through the generosity of individuals, networks, studios and foundations. Winners of the HUMANITAS Prize have included: Allison Schroeder & Theodore Melfi (Hidden Figures); Robert Schenkkan & Andrew Knight (Hacksaw Ridge); Ava DuVernay (13^th), Nate Parker (The Birth Of A Nation); Wash Westmoreland & Richard Glatzer (Still Alice); John Ridley (12 Years A Slave); Damien Chazelle (Whiplash); Larry Kramer (The Normal Heart); David O. Russell (Silver Linings Playbook); Lucy Alibar & Benh Zeitlin (Beasts of the Southern Wild); Denis Leary & Peter Tolan ("Rescue Me"); Geoffrey Fletcher (Precious); Steve Levitan ("Modern Family," "Frasier"); Ryan Murphy ("Glee"); Robert & Michelle King ("The Good Wife"); David E. Kelley ("The Practice," "Picket Fences"); Ben Affleck and Matt Damon (Good Will Hunting); Steven Zaillian (Schindler's List); David Shore ("House"); Aaron Sorkin ("The West Wing"); Tim Robbins (Dead Man Walking); Jason Katims ("Friday Night Lights"); Andrew Stanton, Jim Reardon and Pete Docter (WALL-E); Nancy Oliver (Lars and the Real Girl); Eric Roth & Michael Mann (The Insider); Paul Haggis (Crash); Steven Bochco ("Hill Street Blues," "NYPD Blue") and Keir Pearson & Terry George (Hotel Rwanda).

For more information, please visit the HUMANITAS Prize at www.humanitasprize.org.

Media Contact:
The HUMANITAS Prize 
Cathleen Young
Executive Director
info@humanitasprize.org
(310) 454-8769

View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/31-television-documentary-and-independent-film-finalists-announced-for-43rd-annual-humanitas-prize-300581055.html

SOURCE The HUMANITAS Prize