Presented to: Janine Whetton Gilbert
For: Charly
The Association for Mormon Letters presents its first Award in Adaptation for 2002 to Janine Whetten-Gilbert for Charly.
Writers face special difficulties within the medium of film, since they must write in such a way that their themes and scenes will fit the actors, directors, budgets, locations, and the inevitable changes and rearrangements that are part and parcel to the collaborative nature of film production. Moreover, in the nascent Mormon film market, new sensitivities come into play, especially in adapting a very well known young adult novel not immediately suited for translation to the medium of cinema. The movie Charly has succeeded well in reaching and pleasing its audience this past year, and in so doing has marked a milestone in LDS Cinema. While credit for this accomplishment must be shared with actors, director, and others, this success could not have happened if Janine Whetten-Gilbert had not carefully updated Jack Weyland's novel, pruning some of its excesses, and fitting its dramatic structure to the conventions of film. She has improved upon the original property, reinvigorating both the story and the medium for which she has written, and in turn, improving the quality of Mormon film by taking its literary dimension seriously. The Association for Mormon Letters only hopes that future Mormon filmmakers will use the care and skill that Gilbert has shown as other Mormon fiction is transferred to the screen.