The Austin Film Festival today announced they will be presenting David Simon, creator of The Wire, with their Outstanding Television Writer award this October.
The honour here is not in the award itself, but in the way AFF singles out an industry vet and shines a spotlight on their body of work.
There will most likely be a packed room for “A Conversation with David Simon”, as there have been in the past with previous honourees, such as Arrested Development creator Mitch Hurwitz*, who took home the bronzed typewriter last year. (Yes, the award is a small-but-heavy fake typewriter.)
[* thanks for the correction, Veronica!]
In the coming days, they’ll also announce this year’s recipients of the Distinguished Screenwriter and Extraordinary Contribution to Film awards. All three “winners” form the marquee for the festival, helping to boost ticket sales and get more of us writers geeking out with each other.
And considering the growing masses of devoted David Simon fans, many a writer geek will likely find themselves in Texas this October with a Baltimore swagger, a DVD box set, and a sharpie for the man who’s responsible for turning so many of them (like yours truly) onto a strict diet of HBO series.
Check out the Austin Film Festival’s website for more info.
