The Fucking Awesome Award at the British Screenwriters’ Awards at the London Screenwriters’ Festival was launched in 2016 to recognise a talent, an achievement or personal contribution to our creative community that might fall outside a traditional ‘lifetime achievement award’. The award is reserved for someone who did something, well fucking awesome!
The first recipient was screenwriter and director Simon Fitzmaurice.
Simon was diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease just as he was garnering some success at Sundance with his shorts in 2010.
Years later, after the disease had taken away all his ability to move, with grit and determination in his soul, Simon wrote and directed his debut feature film ‘My Name is Emily’. Unable to move and needing 24 hour assistance, Simon achieved this extraordinary feat using only eye movements and ‘eye gaze’ technology.
Initially given 4 years to live, Simon doubled his life expectancy and went on to live 8 more years, before passing last year at the age of 42.
At the London Screenwriters’ Festival we have decided to rename the Fucking Awesome Award to the Fitzmaurice Award, to keep his legacy and extraordinary spirit alive in our creative community as well as inspire us ALL to do more, complain less and create with courage.
The Fitzmaurice award acknowledges true grit, relentless resilience and through action, to unapologetically defy the odds – and that is truly fucking awesome.
We asked Maureen Hascoet, who helped bring Simon to the Awards three years ago, and who came to know both him and his family, to reach out for their blessing in renaming the award. Here’s what she told us…
I really truly miss Simon – our time together three years ago shook my fucking soul.
After asking Ruth Fitzmaurice (his sister) about the award, she replied.
‘I think I can speak for all the family in saying that it is an award that Simon would be extremely proud to have his name attached to. Thank you all so much for the recognition you gave Simon in his lifetime, it meant a huge amount to him, and he would definitely be honoured to know his name was being carried forward.’
His parents added…
‘We would be so honoured on Simon’s behalf to have the Award named after him. We thank you from the bottom of our hearts for this great honour’
And so in 2018 will be recognising someone Fucking Awesome with the Fitzmaurice Award at the Fifth British Screenwriters’ Awards 2018 on September 8th.
Chris Jones
www.britishscreenwritersawards.com
chris@londonswf.com
Posted by a member of the London Screenwriters’ Festival team.
