Every year, students at the USC School of Cinematic Arts use the moving image to demonstrate the endless experiences, joys, trials and tribulations that are doubtlessly a part of life. From animation, to scholarly work, to narrative films, documentary and even cutting-edge interactive experiences, the stories and experiences created at the School explore just about every facet of what it means to be human. This year, three alumni are nominated for Humanitas Prizes, which celebrate stories that uplift the soul. They include Caitlin Parrish, who won for her television pilot for Painkiller, and Sheldon Candis and Justin Wilson for the script to their film LUV, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year.

“Both Sheldon and I are thrilled to be nominated for the Humanitas Prize,” said Wilson. “Just to be in the same room with the other talented nominees is an honor. We like to tell stories that explore and dramatize the human condition and the shades of gray in everyone. It means a great deal to be recognized by such gifted writers for our work on LUV.”

The Humanitas Prize was created in 1974 to honor film and television writers whose work explores the human condition in a nuanced, meaningful way. A signature Humanitas story challenges us to use our freedom to grow and develop, confronts us with our individual responsibility and examines the consequences of our choices. Lastly, the Prize honors works that explore the hopes and fears of human beings who are very different in culture, race, lifestyle, political loyalties and religious beliefs in order to break down the walls of ignorance which separate us.

“I was shocked,” said Parrish. “I found out that I had won when my agent called me. He was kind enough to direct me to the Chicago Tribune where it was there for all to see. I find that more often than not, I’m more interested in stories of hope than stories of destruction. I find that, if you can avoid being saccharine, you tend to have something more impactful.”

For more information on the Humanitas Prize, please visit: http://www.humanitasprize.org/Prize_About.html