Published: September 20, 2005 11:00 pm         

Spurlock’s FX series ‘30 Days’ honored by Muslim group

Award-winning filmmaker and Beckley native Morgan Spurlock’s FX series “30 Days” is garnering awards for an episode that featured a fellow Beckley native.

Next month, the Muslim Public Affairs Council plans to present one of its 14th annual Media Awards to Spurlock and FX for the episode of “30 Days” called “Muslims and America.” The episode followed Beckley native Dave Stacy, who now lives in Charleston. Stacy, a Christian, spent 30 days living with a Muslim family in Dearborn, Mich.

“I have a whole new appreciation for what it’s like to be discriminated against,” Stacy told The Register-Herald in June when the show aired. “A lot of Americans have a stronger sense of nationalism than we do even our own faith. ... We’re not as tolerant as we should be. ... You can’t stereotype one and a half billion people, or even 500 people, for the actions of five.”

Last week, the council on American-Islamic Relations in Los Angeles presented “30 Days” with a Media Bridge Builder award. Spurlock was not able to attend, but Stacy accepted the award and discussed his experience with more than 1,800 people at the Anaheim Convention Center.

According to the CAIR, banquet attendees also included interfaith leaders as well as a number of local, state and national law enforcement authorities and elected officials, including Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez.

Spurlock is best known for his 2004 film “Super Size Me,” the third highest-grossing box office documentary of all time. For it, Spurlock received an Academy Award nomination, was a National Board of Review and Critic’s Choice Best Documentary nominee, and won best director titles at the Sundance and Edinburgh film festivals.

He also became the first recipient of the inaugural Writers Guild of America Award for best screenplay for a non-fiction film. And his first book, “Don’t Eat This Book,” which reveals the film’s impact on the fast-food industry, consumers and himself, was released in May.

“30 Days” is Spurlock’s second television series. His MTV reality show “I Bet You Will” premiered in 2002, becoming the first show to make the jump from the Internet to TV.

Spurlock’s latest project is a movie he is executive producing called “Class Act,” which, according to his blog, is about the vanishing arts programs in schools nationwide and what a tragedy it is.

“We’re hoping to get the film into Sundance, the deadline is in a few weeks, so as we get info on that I’ll pass it on. It’s such an important subject and hopefully the movie will open some folks’ eyes as to how many kids REALLY get left behind when you don’t challenge the creative mind. I know I would have,” he wrote on his blog this week.

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bnaudrey@register-herald.com