"Crazy Heart" wins Prism Award for depiction of mental health issue of substance abuse

From The Hollywood Reporter:

"Crazy Heart," Fox Searchlight's tale of a booze-addled country singer, was among the movies honored Thursday by the Prism Awards.

Jeff Bridges, who played the country crooner, and Maggie Gyllenhaal, who played his girlfriend, also received awards for their performances. (Both are pictured.)

In a ceremony held at the Beverly Hills Hotel, "Heart" was lauded in the Prisms' substance-abuse category for its accurate depictions of the subject. Paramount/DreamWorks' "The Soloist," about a mentally challenged street musician, was lauded for detailing mental-health issues.

The Prisms annually recognize films, TV shows and music that accurately depict alcohol, substance-abuse and mental-health issues. The program is presented by the nonprofit Entertainment Industries Council in collaboration with the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.

"We salute those in the entertainment industry that promote informational truths in their work to improve the lives of the audiences they entertain," EIC chief Brian Dyak said. "Through accurate character portrayals and inspired storytelling, our industry reinforces the importance of those individuals within the caregiving and health fields."

SAMHSA administrator Pamela Hyde said honorees helped to "depict the realities of addiction and mental illness and the power of treatment and recovery with accuracy and sensitivity."

Honorees for the awards are selected by an 80-person committee of entertainment-industry professionals and specials in medicine, mental health and addiction.