South African winner off to film with Kevin Spacey

Shelly 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.

He joins the other two winners who fly to LA to shoot their script and direct Kevin Spacey, all with the backing of Spacey's award-winning production company, Trigger Street Productions.

Shortlisted from 700

The winners triumphed over 700 budding screenwriters and directors from across the three countries. Trigger Street, with its judging panel of industry experts, produced a shortlist of 20 entries. After completing a rigorous second stage selection process to showcase their creativity and directing skills, the winning three were chosen.

Said Spacey, "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."

"Shelly's launch pad"

Seth Pereira, brand manager for Jameson South Africa commented, "276 scripts were entered by scriptwriters and directors in South Africa. The expert panel in Trigger Street, including president Dana Brunetti (producer of the Oscar winning film The Social Network 21) had a great task in whittling the scripts down to a strong shortlist. Our South African shortlist then had to submit additional work to demonstrate their creativity and directing skills.

"We have no doubt that this will be Shelley's launch pad to furthering his career in the film industry. We look forward to showcasing his film at the premier in Johannesburg and hosting him and Spacey as our guests."

"We were delighted with the level of participation in 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 Spacey is a great opportunity. We are really looking forward to rolling out the 'green carpet' in Moscow, Johannesburg and New York for the premieres in the coming months," said Howard Southern, international marketing director, Jameson Irish Whiskey.