Putting his health at risk by eating nothing but McDonald's for
one month finally paid off for Morgan Spurlock, writer of the documentary
Super Size Me, as he was presented the Writers Guild Of America
award for documentary screenplay.
The Writers Guild award, which was the first of its kind in that
category, acknowledged Spurlock, who was also the leading star in
the documentary. After conducting his McDonald's experiment, Spurlock
experienced deteriorating health such as soaring cholesterol, depression,
lack of attention and sexual dysfunction.
At an awards ceremony Spurlock admitted that he was taken aback
at the amount of praise the movie received and stated the movie
exceeded any expectations they ever anticipated.
When asked if he was surprised that the movie played a factor in
the reduced number of items offered on super-size menus, Spurlock
responded that the actions were a testament to the power or filmmaking
and the growing impact of documentaries.
Super Size Me, which turned into an $11-million hit, is up for
an Academy Award in the best documentary category. In addition to
the Writers Guild award, Spurlock also took home the Sundance Film
Festival's documentary-directing prize.
The Writers Guild award is designed to honor nonfiction writers
who gather images from reality and mold them into a story. They
not only document the human condition but also use them as an inspirational
message for the world we live in.
USA
Today February 16, 2005
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