The Los Angeles Press Club is proud to announce the winner of its 5th annual Veritas Award for Best Film Based on or Inspired by Real Events and People. This award is judged by members of the LAPC — based equally upon the fidelity of subject matter and artistic excellence.
The winner is Lionsgate’s Bombshell written by Charles Randolph and directed by Jay Roach; starring Charlize Theron, Nicole Kidman, Margot Robbie, and John Lithgow.
“On behalf of my fellow producers, our incredible director Jay Roach and the Bombshell Team, we are honored to receive this award. Veritas means truth and all of us were inspired by the truth of this story and these characters. This was an era before the nationwide support movement — Megyn Kelly, Gretchen Carlson and the women of Fox News had no help for what they went through. What they did to fight for what was right was incredibly brave and courageous and they helped to shape the current era and the questions that we’re still asking now,” said producer and lead actress Charlize Theron (who played Megyn Kelly).
Bombshell is based on the accounts of a number of women employed at Fox News who came forward exposing the toxic environment of male entitlement at the news organization created by CEO Roger Ailes. When Gretchen Carlson slapped Roger Ailes with a lawsuit alleging sexual harassment, her decision prompted her colleague Megyn Kelly to come forward with her own story. Other FOX women joined the revolt risking their careers and inciting a movement that reverberated throughout the News Industry which eventually led to the downfall of Ailes.
“The Press Club is always happy when we can award movies about journalism, even ones that deal with unpleasant events. Sexual harassment in the newsroom has been a huge problem and hopefully works like Bombshell can help prevent such behavior in the future,” said LA Press Club President Chris Palmeri, Bureau Chief at Bloomberg News, Los Angeles.
The first round of voting for the 2020 Veritas Award produced a three-way tie among Bombshell, 1917 and Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood. The second round was equally as fierce with Bombshell beating out 1917 by one vote!
Past winners include Spotlight, Hidden Figures, The Post and Green Book.
The Veritas Award Ceremony is planned for February 6. Further details and tickets will be available at LAPressClub.org.
