Three talented writer/directors will be heading to LA for the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to make their short film with Trigger Street Productions, starring Willem Dafoe.
Jameson Irish Whiskey, Kevin Spacey, Willem Dafoe and Trigger Street Productions are delighted to announce the three winners of Jameson First Shot 2013.
The international short film competition that gives the biggest breaks to up-and-coming film talent has named Shirlyn Wong from the US, Hanneke Schutte from South Africa and Anton Lanshakov from Russia as this year’s winners. Having fought off stiff competition from hundreds of other talented screenwriters and directors, Wong, Schutte and Lanshakov will now go on to direct two-time Academy Award nominee, Willem Dafoe in their short film, all with the backing of award-winning production company, Trigger Street Productions.
Having reviewed the hundreds of scripts entered this year, Kevin Spacey and Trigger Street produced a shortlist of 20 to progress to the rigorous second stage of judging. Once the shortlisted contestants showcased their creativity and directing skills, the winning three were chosen and notified via a personal Skype call from the competition’s Creative Director, Kevin Spacey, President of Trigger Street Productions, Dana Brunetti and Jameson First Shot Producer, Carter Swan.
And the winners are…
USA: Shirlyn Wong from New York is an M.F.A. graduate film candidate from New York University Tisch School of the Arts Asia. During her film school career she has won awards from Singapore Short Film Awards and First Run Film Festival. Her script, LOVE’S ROUTINE is a dark comedy about a discordant elderly couple, who ultimately prove that love is greater than flesh and blood.
You can watch Shirlyn’s reaction when she was told by Kevin Spacey and Dana Brunetti she had won on the Jameson YouTube channel: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7RV298dmC1U .
South Africa: Hanneke Schutte is a writer/director from Johannesburg. Having previously had her work shown at Durban International Film Festival, her winning script, PING PONG WITH MR YONG tells the story of a hypochondriac ex ping pong player who never got over missing a major tournament final because of a cold.
Russia: Anton Lanshakov is a graduate of the Humanitarian Institute of Television & Radio Broadcasting in Moscow. Currently working as a writer, director and producer his winning script, THE SMILE-MAN focuses on a gentleman dealing with the consequences of a car accident, which has left him with a spinal injury that means he has a permanent smile on his face.
Kevin Spacey, Creative Director of Jameson First Shot said of the entries: “After last year’s three outstanding winners, expectations were naturally very high for the second year. The entries for Jameson First Shot 2013 were of an exceptional standard and I have no doubt that the three winners we have chosen will each make an incredible and unique short film. I’m sure Willem Dafoe is going to enjoy the three roles immensely and we are all looking forward to getting production started in LA.”
Having racked up more than 5.6million YouTube views between them, last year’s winners have already found that the competition has opened industry doors for them. Benjamin Leavitt, last year’s US winner commented: “Since winning Jameson First Shot I've developed some feature film ideas, finished writing a TV pilot and directed several commercial spots. These doors were opened as a direct result of the competition – a short film starring Kevin Spacey tends to get people's attention. My plan is to keep my foot on the pedal, continue writing and directing as much as I can, and ideally get a feature off the ground in near future.”
The 2013 winners will fly to LA in two weeks time to begin production on their short films with the expertise of Kevin Spacey and his award-winning production company, Trigger Street Productions behind them. Jameson will once again be hosting premieres when production has wrapped to ensure each winner gets to celebrate their achievement as well as getting the chance promote their winning short film.
For more information on the competition please visit www.jamesonfirstshot.com or go to www.youtube.com/jamesonwhiskey to view last year’s winning films and behind the scenes videos.
Jameson Irish Whiskey is the world’s No 1 selling Irish whiskey. The success of the Irish brand is down to its great quality and smooth taste, coupled with a fantastic heritage, established in 1780 by the legendary John Jameson. Having played a part in film since 1998, today Jameson is involved with film festivals and events that support and encourage up and coming film talent and enthusiasts including the Jameson Cult Film Club, Done in 60 Seconds, the Jameson Empire Awards and Independent Spirit Awards, to name but a few.
KEVIN SPACEY
Kevin Spacey is one of the most acclaimed actors of our time. He has won two Academy Awards and a Tony, plus two National Board of Review Awards, a Critics Circle, Evening Standard, Olivier and a BAFTA. His two SAG Awards reflect his standing among his peers. Kevin has been nominated for six Golden Globes, two Emmys and a Grammy. He has produced and directed for both the stage and screen. He has also pioneered new content and distribution models with the creation of TriggerStreet.com as an online community for unrepresented screenwriters and short film directors. The site immediately took off with thousands of online users uploading their work, reviewing work created by their peers, and participating in online competitions and short film festivals. Kevin is also the Artistic Director of The Old Vic Theatre, London, and will continue in this role up to 2015. Current projects include House of Cards, a new 26-episode political thriller in which Kevin Spacey will star as part of a new slate of original programming for Netflix, as well as plans to Executive Produce new E! drama Upstarts, set in Silicon Valley’s digital gold rush of the 1990s alongside fellow Exec Producers Michael Deluca and Dana Brunetti.
WILLEM DAFOE
In 1979, Willem Dafoe was given a small role in Michael Cimino's Heaven's Gate from which he was fired. His first feature role came shortly after in Kathryn Bigelow's The Loveless. From there, he went on to perform in over 70 films - in Hollywood (John Carter, Spider-Man, The English Patient, Finding Nemo, Once Upon A Time In Mexico, Clear And Present Danger, White Sands, Mississippi Burning, Streets Of Fire, American Dreamz) and in independent cinema in the U.S. (Odd Thomas, The Clearing, Animal Factory, The Boondock Saints, American Psycho) and abroad (Theo Angelopoulos' The Dust Of Time, Yim Ho's Pavillion Of Women, Yurek Bogayevicz's Edges Of The Lord, Wim Wenders' Faraway, So Close, Nobuhiro Suwa's segment of Paris Je t'aime, Brian Gilbert's Tom & Viv, Christian Carion's Farewell, Mr. Bean's Holiday and The Spierig Brothers' Daybreakers, Daniel Nettheim's The Hunter). He has chosen projects for diversity of roles and opportunities to work with strong directors. He has worked in the films of Wes Anderson (The Life Aquatic, The Fantastic Mr. Fox), Martin Scorsese (The Aviator, The Last Temptation Of Christ), Spike Lee (Inside Man), Julian Schnabel (Miral, Basquiat), Paul Schrader (Auto Focus, Affliction, Light Sleeper, The Walker, Adam Resurrected), David Cronenberg (Existenz), Abel Ferrara (444: The Last Day On Earth, Go Go Tales, New Rose Hotel), David Lynch (Wild At Heart), William Friedkin (To Live And Die In LA), Werner Herzog (My Son My Son What Have Ye Done), Oliver Stone (Born On The Fourth Of July, Platoon), Giada Colagrande (A Woman and Before It Had A Name) and Lars von Trier (Antichrist and Manderlay). He was nominated twice for the Academy Award (Platoon and Shadow Of The Vampire) and once for the Golden Globe. Among other nominations and awards, he received an LA Film Critics Award and an Independent Spirit Award. Upcoming films include Anton Corbjin's A Most Wanted Man, Lars von Trier's Nymphomaniac, Scott Cooper's Out of the Furnace, Wes Anderson's The Grand Budapest Hotel, and Chris Brinker's Whiskey Bay. Dafoe is one of the founding members of The Wooster Group, the New York based experimental theatre collective. He created and performed in all of the group's work from 1977 thru 2005, both in the U.S. and internationally. Since then, he worked with Richard Foreman in Idiot Savant at The Public Theatre (NYC) and most recently Robert Wilson's The Life & Death of Marina Abramovic abroad.
DANA BRUNETTI
Feature film and TV producer, Dana Brunetti is Kevin Spacey’s long-time business partner and President of Trigger Street Productions. His film credits include 21, Fanboys, Bernard and Doris and Casino Jack. Recently, Dana produced The Social Network, which received numerous awards including eight Academy Award nominations. Dana was nominated twice and won a Golden Globe for The Social Network, as well as many others including the National Board of Review and The Critics Choice Award. Dana also produced the multi-Emmy nominated film Bernard and Doris. Architect of several ground-breaking deals, Dana set up the eight year Anheuser Busch sponsorship of TriggerStreet.com, AB's longest sponsor outside of sports. Recently, Dana helped secure a mega-deal with Netflix as part of their new slate of original programming for TV political thriller House of Cards, which continues the collaboration of Kevin Spacey and Social Network director, David Fincher. Dana’s current projects include new Tom Hanks flick, Captain Philips which chronicles the life of Captain Richard Phillips and his crew's encounter with Somali pirates, which he is producing. Additionally Dana has signed a new deal with E! to Exec Produce Upstarts, a drama set in Silicon Valley’s digital gold rush of the 1990s alongside fellow Exec Producers Kevin Spacey and Michael Deluca. Dana has also recently been announced as the Producer of the much-hyped, Fifty Shades of Grey.
TRIGGER STREET PRODUCTIONS
Trigger Street Productions is an entertainment production company formed by Kevin Spacey and his producing partner Dana Brunetti in 1997. Trigger Street’s credits include Golden-Globe winning The Social Network and the Emmy-nominated Bernard and Doris, as well as numerous other film productions including 21, Shrink, Fanboys and The Big Kahuna. TriggerStreet.com was launched in 2002 as an online community for unrepresented filmmakers, writers, readers, and film aficionados, which provides a platform for undiscovered talent to showcase their work and gain valuable exposure. Current projects include House of Cards which will join Netflix’s burgeoning slate of original programming as well as a new deal with E! to produce Upstarts, a drama set in Silicon Valley’s digital gold rush of the 1990s which Kevin Spacey, Dana Brunetti and Michael Deluca will Exec Produce.
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