Scriptwriter wins competition to work with Spacey

Shelley will be leaving on 15 March in order to commence working with Kevin Spacey as part of the prize.

This is not the first time that Shelley has gained recognition for his work. His first short film titled Harold and Nina won him a Bronze Loerie Award, while his PSA titled Moses won him the MNet VUKA! Awards for Best Director, which he directed while he was still a student at City Varsity.

Competitions are won by other people

"My first reaction was shock and then denial," Shelley commented. "I couldn't quite believe it. Competitions are for other people to win, not yourself. I'm still trying to get used to the idea. I'm most excited about meeting new people, people I can learn from. I can't wait to see America and of course to meet Spacey."

Shelley and the respective winners from the USA and Russia beat about 700 entries of budding scriptwriters and directors across all three regions. His winning script, Spirit of a Denture tells a humorous story of a workaholic doctor who gets a visit from a disruptive pirate.

High calibre of entries

Spacey commented: "We were impressed with the caliber 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."

"We were delighted with the level of participation to the competition. To be able to give up-and-coming screenwriters and directors a shot at their big break, as well as giving them the chance to work with a Hollywood legend like Kevin Spacey is a fantastic opportunity," Howard Southern, international marketing director of Jameson Irish Whiskey concluded.