Jameson First Shot winners announced

Alan Shelley from South Africa and the respective winners from the US and Russia all beat more than 700 budding screenwriters and directors from the three countries. Trigger Street's judging panel of industry experts produced a shortlist of 20 entries. After completing a rigourous second stage selection process to showcase their creativity and directing skills, the winning three were chosen.

The South African winner is 26-year-old Alan Shelley from Cape Town, who majored in directing and, as a student, won several awards for his films. He has worked as a writer, director, editor and vfx supervisor on a locally produced independent mini-series. His winning script, Spirit of a Denture, tells the story of a workaholic dentist who gets a visit from a disruptive pirate.

Filming with Kevin Spacey

Each winner will now fly to LA to shoot their script and direct Kevin Spacey, with the backing of his production company, Trigger Street Productions.

Kevin Spacey commented: "We were impressed with the calibre of many of the entries, but the three winners stood out; they listened to the advice we gave and, as a result, delivered some well-constructed, clever stories that grabbed our interest. It's great to be able to discover this level of talent and we're really excited to see what they will each bring to the shoot."

No film is complete without a closing party to celebrate, so once the films are "in the can", there will be a premiere in each of the winners' home cities with Kevin Spacey and the winner attending as guests of honour.

For more information, go to www.jamesonfirstshot.com