"We're talking about a starving Hollywood writer who has entered 15 competitions and didn't really read the fine print," said Matt George, who won the coveted Gordon Parks award for best screenplay at the annual IFP Feature Film Market. The fine print would have explained that the $10,000 prize, named for Harlem's greatest photographer, is intended for emerging black filmmakers. Except for a number of tattoos, George is white. "I showed up and it was a complete surprise. I was the bastard child at that banquet," George told Daily Variety. "It was the most awkward moment of my life. It became so comedic that at the after-party there wasn't a human being in there that wasn't buying me a drink." George's screenplay, a love story titled "Soul Alley," is based on the life of his African-American godfather, Buddie Penn, who was the first black squadron leader in Vietnam. Judges included Spike Lee, Malcolm D. Lee (cousin of Spike) and actress Tonya Lee Williams. "They assumed that since my screenplay is of an African-American theme, that the writer was African-American," George said. "I was approached by a committee member and told that I was ineligible to receive the award on the basis of the color of my skin. I was disappointed, but what could I do? I realized that we had all made an error, so I stood down. I'm just honored that I could write a screenplay that could win an African-American award."