The Gabriel Award, sponsored by The Catholic Academy of Communication Professionals, is awarded to films that convey “the worthiness of individuals while honoring the beauty of the human spirit.” For more information about the award, please visit their website here (link). This year, I Go Forward by David Gutnick is the recipient of this prestigious award and has been recognized in the General Excellence category.

The documentary features one of bakerlaw’s previous clients, Justin Clark. Bakerlaw worked with Justin, who was born with cerebral palsy, to demonstrate that despite his communication challenges, he is a mentally competent adult. The film and Justin’s story have been recognized across the U.S. and Canada for affirming “the dignity of human persons” and recognizing universal “human values such as community, creativity, tolerance, justice, compassion and the dedication to excellence”.

To read more about Justin Clark’s case, visit our previous blog post here (link).

The landmark decision made by Judge John Ross Matheson can be accessed here (link).

For more information about Justin’s journey and the documentary I Go Forward, please visit the story published by CBC here (link).