BELFAST filmmaker and screenwriter Terry George has been honoured with a prestigious award at the 78th Annual Writers Guild Awards in New York.
The Writers Guild of America East’s (WGAE) Ian McLellan Hunter Award for Career Achievement was established in 1992 and named in memory of longtime WGAE member Ian McLellan Hunter. The award is presented to a WGAE member in honour of their body of work as a writer in motion pictures or television.
A Guild member since 1989, George’s first credit came as the co-writer of the acclaimed feature film In The Name of the Father, which was co-written and directed by Jim Sheridan and starred Daniel Day Lewis. The film earned Best Adapted Screenplay nominations at the Academy Awards and Writers Guild Awards. In The Name of the Father marked George’s first of three collaborations with Sheridan chronicling the conflict in Northern Ireland, including 1996’s Some Mother's Son and 1998’s The Boxer.
George co-wrote and directed the 2004 masterpiece Hotel Rwanda, which tells the harrowing true story of a hotelier’s attempt to use their property to save the lives of thousands of refugees during the 1994 Rwandan genocide. The film was nominated for an Academy Award and Writers Guild Award for Best Original Screenplay, and was named to American Film Institute as one of the 100 most inspirational movies of all time.
Terry received his award at at the 78th annual WGA Awards ceremony on Sunday night at Edison Ballroom in Manhattan.
Terry said: “I have been a proud WGAE member for 37 years. The Writers Guild of America is the rebel heart of the entertainment industry and has protected me throughout this wonderful career.
"To receive Ian McLellan Hunter Award for Career Achievement is the greatest honour I can achieve and I am truly humbled.”
