Canadore Student Jason Manella was one of three screenwriters selected from around the world for the international Jameson First Shot Film Competition. The third year Digital Cinematography student left for Los Angeles on Monday to begin production of his short script, A Funny Thing Happened to Kelly and Ted. He will spend two weeks in L.A working with award-winning producer Dana Brunetti, who worked on Captain Phillips and The Social Network, and his team to bring the production to life. The production will also feature award-winning actor Dominic West.
Manella’s script was chosen out of 2,000 submissions, and the idea behind the competition is to give emerging filmmakers a chance to break into the industry. In the announcement video, West describes the script as a particularly quirky one, that had a format and concept that he had never heard of or seen before. The idea behind the competition, which is in its sixth year, is to give emerging filmmakers a chance to break into the industry. Past projects in this competition have featured Uma Thurman, Adrian Brody and Maggie Gyllenhall.
Associate Dean of Media, Design and Dramatic Arts Yura Monestime says this is a major accomplishment for Manella, and also speaks to the caliber of programs at Canadore. Monestime says they’re very proud of Manella, and the Digital Cinematography program has been running for only five years and already they have a long list of award-winning students and grads. He says that’s a testament to the quality of professors and the passion of their students.
