At the 15th Governors Awards on November 17, 2024, renowned filmmaker Richard Curtis was honoured with the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award, recognising his significant contributions to both cinema and humanitarian causes. In his acceptance speech, Curtis emphasised the transformative power of storytelling and advocated for the integration of impact producers into film productions.

He said “I would just plead with everyone here: when you make a film or a show with a powerful social message—an empowering, positive message like BARBIE or INSIDE OUT—set aside a small fraction of your budget in advance to pay for an Impact Producer. When films have a dedicated person to take the film and use it for campaigning, targeted education, or changing laws—when films are shown to the right people in power at the right time, and when they are linked to the right charities—amazing things can happen.”

Watch the full speech below.