Writers for the socially conscious “Hidden Figures” and “Tallulah” are among this year’s finalists for the 42nd annual Humanitas Prize, announced Wednesday by Humanitas executive director Cathleen Young and president Ali LeRoi.
Thirty-two different writers will compete for $100,000 in prize money, awarded to those whose work “inspires compassion, hope and understanding in the human family.” The winners will be announced at the annual luncheon in February at the Four Seasons Hotel Los Angeles at Beverly Hills.
Episodes from “Madam Secretary” and “The Night Of” compete in the 60-minute category, while the non-fiction “120 Days: Undocumented in America” goes up against “13th” in the documentary category. Finalists also include professors from various universities vying for the drama fellowship and David & Lynn Angell Comedy Fellowship.
“We received a huge number of worthy submissions this year, which made narrowing the field down to these exceptional finalists especially challenging — and rewarding,” said Young in a statement. “These were truly the best of the best, writers whose work engaged, illuminated, inspired and entertained, all while exploring the range of human experience from fresh and diverse perspectives.”
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Added LeRoi, “Great stories can play an essential role in people’s lives by reminding us of our common humanity and motivating us to be our best selves. Many of the extraordinary works by this year’s finalists touch on issues of inclusion, equality and tolerance, ideas that are of particular importance in today’s conflict-ridden world.”
Past winners of the Humanitas Prize include the writers of “12 Years a Slave,” “Silver Linings Playbook,” and “Precious.” Over $3 million has been distributed to these and more than 330 other writers since 1974.
The Humanitas Prize finalists are:
Feature Film Category
ARRIVAL Written by: Eric Heisserer
HACKSAW RIDGE Written by: Robert Schenkkan
HIDDEN FIGURES Written by: Allison Schroeder and Theodore Melfi
Sundance Feature Film Category
THE BIRTH OF A NATION Written by: Nate Parker
FIRST GIRL I LOVED Written by: Kerem Sanga
THE FUNDAMENTALS OF CARING Written by: Rob Burnett
TALLULAH Written by: Siân Heder
30-Minute Category
BLACK-ISH “Hope” Written by: Kenya Barris
GRACE & FRANKIE “The Party” Written by: Alexa Junge
THE REAL O’NEALS “The Real Grandma” Written by: Casey Johnson
60-Minute Category
THIS IS US “Pilot” Written by: Dan Fogelman
MADAM SECRETARY “Waiting for Taleju” Written by Joy Gregory
THE NIGHT OF “The Call of the Wild” Written by: Richard Price & Steven Zaillian
Children’s Animated Category
THE LION GUARD “Never Judge a Hyena by Its Spots” Written by: Kevin Hopps
NINA’S WORLD “Nina’s Brother for a Day” Written by: Maria Escobedo
SOFIA THE FIRST “Dads and Daughters Day” Written by: Rachel Ruderman & Laurie Israel
Children’s Live Action Category
AN AMERICAN GIRL STORY “Melody 1963: Love Has to Win” Written by: Alison McDonald
DEGRASSI: NEXT CLASS “#TurntUp” Written by: Courtney Jane Walker
GIRL MEETS WORLD “Girl Meets The Forgiveness Project” Written by: Matthew Nelson
Documentary Category
13th: Written by: Ava DuVernay
120 DAYS: UNDOCUMENTED IN AMERICA Written by: Ted Roach
JIM: THE JAMES FOLEY STORY Written by: Chris Chuang & Heather MacDonald
David & Lynn Angell Comedy Fellowship
Magdalen Silberman, University of Texas at Austin
Jonathan Talbert, Loyola Marymount University
Beau Ballinger, University of Texas at Austin
Drama Fellowship
Daniel James Boddicker, Columbia University
J.J. Braider, University of Southern California
Munis Rashid, American Film Institute categorize
