Spacey attends Joburg premiere of Saving Norman

Hanneke Schutte, a 37-year-old filmmaker from Joburg triumphed in the second year of the Jameson First Shot competition, beating off hundreds of other entries to be named one of just three winners worldwide. Schutte received the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to fly to Los Angeles to shoot her winning short film, directing Willem Dafoe in the leading role, all with the backing of award-winning production company, Trigger Street Productions. Her short film tells the story of a hypochondriac ex-ping pong player who never got over missing a major tournament final because of a cold.

Gamble paid off

The creative director of the competition and star of last year's winning films, Kevin Spacey, commented: "It was a risk for Willem to agree to star in three films before we even had any scripts, but I think his gamble has paid off. We have given another three people the opportunity of a lifetime and produced another three incredible films as a result of the Jameson First Shot competition. Last year was an unforgettable experience for me and being on board as creative director this year has allowed me to still be a part of the truly unique opportunity we're offering to these filmmakers of the future. I'm looking forward to seeing the public reaction when we release the films on Jameson's YouTube channel and also to the third year of the competition when we'll have another incredible A-list star for our young, talented filmmakers to direct."

The premiere, held in one of Joburg's premier locations for creative film production in Braamfontein, was attended by more than 250 guests, with Akin Omotoso presiding over the evening's events as host and MC. Guests of honour included Kevin Spacey, Academy Award nominee, Golden Globe winner and president of Trigger Street Productions, Dana Brunetti and local winner, Hanneke Schutte, along with Pearl Thusi, Jena Dover, Zuraida Jardin, Josh Lindberg, Nyasha Zimucha, Lehasa Moloi, Nambitha Mpumlwana, Lerato Kganyago, Jen Su, Jonathan Boyton-Lee, Akino Omotoso, Liezel van der Westhuizen, Derek Watts and Bokang Montjane.

Schutte said: "Jameson First Shot has been the most incredible experience.Willem was such an amazing person to work with; he was incredibly easy to direct and always open to suggestions when we were on set. Last year's films got millions of views when they were released on YouTube, so naturally I'm hoping for a similar reaction to my film this year. It's been an exhilarating, inspiring, exhausting, life-changing experience, but it is without a doubt something that I will always, always remember and I want to thank Jameson and Trigger Street for giving me this opportunity."

Any talented writer/directors who think they have what it takes to be next year's South African winner are encouraged to register their interest now at jamesonfirstshot.com to get all the updates on next year's competition.