The overwhelming winner of the LAPC's 4th annual Veritas Award is Universal Pictures’ Academy Award nominee "Green Book," written by Nick Vallelonga, Brian Currie and Peter Farrelly; directed by Farrelly and starring Viggo Mortensen and Mahershala Ali.
"Green Book," from Participant Media and DreamWorks Pictures, is inspired by the story of an unlikely friendship that formed in the early 1960s between Tony Vallelonga (writer Nick’s dad, played by Mortensen), an Italian bouncer, and Dr. Don Shirley (Ali), an African-American pianist and composer. The story begins when Tony is hired to drive Dr. Shirley through the deeply segregated South on a two-month tour. Along the way the two men gain a new understanding and honest respect for one another.
"Green Book" illuminates the power of empathy and understanding to scale the social and cultural walls that divide us. The film has won multiple awards, including the Producers Guild of America award and the Golden Globe for Best Picture, Musical or Comedy. It has also been nominated for five Academy Awards, including Best Picture.