The lucky grand-prize winner and two runner-ups of the 2nd annual YouTube Project:Direct International Film Competition, partnered with both the Sundance Film Festival and Moviefone, the internet’s number one destination for exclusive movie news, showtimes and tickets, were announced on January 6th, 2009 in San Bruno, California. This is the second year that YouTube, the premiere worldwide online video community that allows millions of people to discover, watch and share innovational and pioneering originally created videos, has sponsored an international short film competition devised to both uncover hidden, emerging talent and captivate and immerse the entire YouTube community.
Literally hundreds of gifted and hungry filmmakers entered the contest, all hoping to secure the number one spot, which was carefully selected out of a pool of ten finalists chosen by a special panel of Sundance festival programmers. The fate of each filmmaker was then left in the online hands of the global Youtube community, who then personally selected their favorite films and voted for them.
“Perfecto!”, the short film created by Blake Edwards of Charlotte, North Carolina took the grand prize, deservingly granting Edwards with $2,500 and five engaging days at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival, where his film will be screened at an exclusive festival event. Ben Goldenberg and Jason Gossbee, the second place winners hailing from Toronto, Canada will also receive $2,500 for their film, “White Collar Criminals” and third place winner, Avery Auer of Santa Monica, California will receive $1,000 for her film, “Good Deeds and the Damage Done”. Supplementing the cash prizes awarded from Moviefone, both the grand-prize winner and the two runner-ups will have their film dispersed to industry executives and major Entertainment power players attending the Sundance Film Festival.
Sara Pollack, Product Marketing Manager of Film at YouTube remarked, “We are thrilled that YouTube Project:Direct once again attracted the crème de la crème of rising filmmakers worldwide, giving them the unique opportunity to reach hundreds of millions of new fans and industry executives”. She then commented that, “With entrants this year ranging from first time filmmakers to last year’s grand prize winner, Project:Direct continues to highlight the creativity that exists throughout the YouTube community. Having created new landing pages for engaging with film on YouTube – youtube.com/movies, youtube.com/projectdirect, and youtube.com/screeningroom – we remain committed to unearthing new talent and connecting fans with new and classic favorites”.
Grand-prize winner Blake Edwards said, “It’s a great thing for a friend to say your work is good, but it’s an entirely different thing to be recognized by a panel of Sundance Film Festival programmers and an audience as vast and creative as YouTube’s. It’s an honor to receive this award and I’m grateful to our friends, family, and supporters for voting us into the top! Thanks to YouTube, Moviefone, and Sundance as well for hosting an international platform for filmmakers like Project:Direct”.
The 25th Sundance Film Festival will take place January 15 – January 25, 2009 in Park City, Salt Lake City, Ogden and Sundance, Utah. YouTube audiences can view the winning Project:Direct films and additional contest entries here.
More on the Winners:
“Perfecto!” grand-prize winner, Blake Edwards returned to Charlotte, North Carolina after journeying around the world to Spain, Los Angeles, and New York eagerly seeking film and stage opportunities. Ironically, he discovered a source of inspiration in aspiring writer and actress Erin Fede, a co-worker who dwelled a mere cubicle over. Fede, who was both the writer and star of “Gone in a Flash”, last year’s Project:Direct first runner up, wrote this year’s winning script surrounding an international spy who falls in love in the country. She decided her co-worker would make a great director for her new short and together they rushed around downtown Charlotte, transforming it into a very believable France, Middle East, India, and Russia, all while managing to maintain the film’s distinct southern cinematic twinge.
Watch “Perfecto!” Here:
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JSVzmhJQYPw&feature=channel_page[/youtube]
First runners up for “White Collar Criminals”, Benjamin Goldensberg, who attended the NY Film Academy in Los Angeles, and Jason Gosbee, who attended Toronto’s Film School, managed to write a screenplay in one night and shoot and edit it over a mere three days despite their 2,000-mile distance apart. Their stylized, storytelling black comedy, “White Collar Criminals”, has been viewed over 150,000 times and has entertained audiences worldwide. Goldenberg and Gosbee are already set for many more future film collaborations that appear destined to do just as well.
Watch “White Collar Criminals” Here:
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lfi1yxUdUDE[/youtube]
Although she worked as a freelance copy editor for advertising agencies and magazines, third place winner for “Good Deeds and the Damage Done”, Avery Auer simply wanted to write and produce films as her grandfather had done decades before. Therefore, when she heard about YouTube’s Project:Direct, Auer took it as a great opportunity to start up a career in film. Auer amazingly incorporated all 25 of the Sundance props into her film, although only two were required in each filmmaker’s entry, and used her knack for sharp dialogue and dark comedies to create “Good Deeds and the Damage Done”. Director Joe Pascual was so impressed by Auer’s work that he extended her a contract to write for his forthcoming TV show, which was the first in a slew of writer/producer offers thrown at Auer. It seems Avery Auer is well on her way to following in her grandfather’s footsteps.
Watch “Good Deeds and the Damage Done” Here:
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f7Ji2fLpiOw[/youtube]
YouTube is currently the forerunning online video community where millions of people have discovered originally created videos by joining the popular online network. It serves as a place where original content creators and advertisers can easily obtain distribution, whether they are small or large and people can connect, inspire, and inform others globally with their creativity. YouTube, LLC is a subsidiary of Google Inc. and is based in San Bruno, CA.
The Sundance Film Festival is the top showcase for independent U.S. and international film. The Festival is one of the core programs of the Sundance Institute, a cultural nonprofit organization founded in 1981 by Robert Redford and it’s held each and every January in Sundance, Park City, Salt Lake City, and Ogden, Utah. With approximately 80 short films and dramatic and documentary full-length films presented in nine different categories each year, Sundance has become an American source of introduction to the most innovative films created in the last two decades. The festival has since expanded its repertoire to include music, dialogue, and art. Furthermore, short films, filmmaker interviews, video episodes, podcasts, photos, and news stories can now be found on the Sundance Film Festival website:
Moviefone, the internet’s largest and most popular movie website is the one stop shop for movie tickets, celebrity and movie news, and exclusive, original interviews including “Unscripted”, Moviefone’s web series where celebrities interview other fellow celebrities using fan submitted questions. Moviefone also owns and operates the Moviefone Interactive Voice Recognition service, which can be accessed by dialing “777-FILM”.
Website: www.moviefone.com
