Now in its fifth year, the Jameson First Shot film competition is back. 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 talented winners will have the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to turn their scripts into short films starring Maggie Gyllenhaal, and have them premiered in LA, with the acclaimed cast and crew in attendance.
The 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.
World-class 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,” said Brunetti
So what does Maggie look for in a script? The actor 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.” To aspiring filmmakers thinking of entering, Maggie recommends “putting a little bit of your actual self into what you’re doing – good art takes vulnerability.”
For its fifth year, Jameson is expanding its catchment area to give more undiscovered talent the chance to enter their work. Entrants living in the following countries are all eligible: UK, Ireland, India, Australia, Canada, SA, Bulgaria, Kenya, Russia and the US.
The rules including length and theme, can be found at https://www.jamesonfirstshot.com/.