Arts Writer
TOGETHER with Kevin Spacey and Trigger Street Productions, Jameson is once again on the hunt for the globe’s most gifted, undiscovered filmmakers with compelling stories to tell. Three winners will have the chance to turn their scripts into short films starring Maggie Gyllenhaal, and have them premiered in Los Angeles, with the cast and crew in attendance.
In its fifth year, the Jameson First Shot Film Competition is all about giving talented filmmakers a break – a first shot at the industry. It asks aspiring filmmakers to be fearless; to write about what matters to them, tell the stories that they want to tell and, ultimately, make the film they want to make. It’s looking for undiscovered filmmakers with big ideas and an insatiable desire to create.
Aspiring script writers from South Africa, the UK, Ireland, India, Australia, Canada, Bulgaria, Kenya, Russia and the US are eligible to enter.
Kevin Spacey says that he knows how difficult it can be to break into the film industry. Having succeeded himself, he feels it is important to “send the elevator back down”, as his mentor Jack Lemmon once told him. “It’s not about where someone is, it’s about where they might get to in 10 years if they’re encouraged, nurtured and guided,” says Spacey.
Producer, Dana Brunetti, who will be making the shorts alongside the winners, sees the competition as giving filmmakers outside of Hollywood a chance to shine: “We’ve opened up the competition to countries across the world; more countries means more gifted people. Hollywood doesn’t have a monopoly on talent and we want to see what the world has to offer,” says Brunetti.
Gyllenhaal will play the lead in this year’s three winning films. She was nominated for a Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her role in Crazy Heart, received Golden Globe nominations for her leading roles in Secretary and Sherrybaby.
So, what does she look for in a script? She recommends taking a new angle: “An observation that we haven’t seen, that’s real, that people relate to, that’s complicated – as we all are.”
l Entries close on January 4. For rules and entry guidelines, see www.jamesonfirstshot.com