JAMESON FIRST SHOT

Jameson Irish Whiskey joins Kevin Spacey and TriggerStreet Productions in launching new international short film competition

The winner of Jameson First Shot will receive a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to direct highly acclaimed actor Kevin Spacey and work with his award winning production company, TriggerStreet Productions.

Designed to discover talented screenwriters and directors from Russia, South Africa and the USA, Jameson First Shot comes with an incredible prize where one winner from each country will have their script made into a short film by Trigger Street Productions, starring Kevin Spacey.

“I want to give talented people out there a shot at reaching their goals for the first time,” says Kevin Spacey. “Jack Lemmon once said to me – ‘If you’re doing well, send the elevator back down’. I've done incredibly well and it’s because the material I found early in my career was from first-time writers, first-time directors, first-time playwrights. If it weren't for that talent, I wouldn't have a career. So if one person gets a break then the competition has been successful.”

Talented film-makers looking for their big break are invited to submit a script up to seven pages long onto www.jamesonfirstshot.com. Inspired by the theme of a legendary, humorous or very tall tale, the shortlist will be judged by an expert team including Kevin Spacey and Dana Brunetti, President of Trigger Street Productions (‘The Social Network and ‘21’). The nominees will then go through to the next round, where they will show their directing skills by shooting a scene supplied by Trigger Street.

One winner from each country will then enjoy a prize like no other as they fly to LA to shoot their script and direct Kevin Spacey, all with the backing of his award-winning production company. The final three films will be voted on by the public to decide the overall winner of the Jameson First Shot competition.

Howard Southern, International Marketing Director, Irish Distillers Pernod Ricard added: “We are delighted to be working with Kevin Spacey and Trigger Street Productions on such a unique film project. Jameson First Shot perfectly embodies our attitude towards film; whereas public perception is of a closed and exclusive world, we want to open it up and give emerging talent the opportunity to be mentored by some of Hollywood’s biggest names. It’s a truly exciting proposition and we look forward to seeing three fantastic films.”

Genevieve Hofmeyr, Founder, Partner and Producer of Moonlighting Films, one of South Africa’s leading film production companies commented: “I am delighted that South Africa has been selected as one of the participating countries in this competition. Too few opportunities are given to emerging screenwriters to have their work recognized in an international arena and this is a wonderful platform for our South African writers. It is a once in a lifetime opportunity to possibly have someone of Mr Spacey's stature perform their work. This competition will certainly encourage and help develop our local scriptwriters boosting our content development which in turn I believe will be of huge benefit to the future of our local film industry."

Thandie Brewer, Chair of the Writer’s Guild of South Africa as well as Screenwriting Chair for AFDA added: “This is a fantastic opportunity for South African screenwriters and the Writers Guild of South Africa is delighted that South African writing talent will be showcased in this way. On a personal level, as both a writer and Chair of the Writers’ Guild of South Africa, I’m enormously excited by the chance that this will give both established and upcoming writers to get their work into the International arena. Particularly with an actor of Kevin Spacey’s stature attached.”

Seth Pereira, Brand Manager for Jameson South Africa concluded: “We are very excited to launch the Jameson First Shot Project. Film has proved to be a very successful vehicle for Jameson both in South Africa as well as abroad. The brand has always had a footprint in film in South Africa with past sponsorships such as the Sithengi Film Festival, Encounters Film Awards and tactical TV sponsorships with The Emmy Awards, Golden Globe Awards as well as the Academy Awards. Internationally, Jameson is a partner in the Dublin International Film Festival, the Empire Awards in London, The Spirit Awards in L.A with numerous other partnerships across Europe.”

For full details on how to enter plus exclusive videos and tips from Kevin Spacey and Dana Brunetti, visit www.jamesonfirstshot.com