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Jameson Irish Whiskey announces iconic Hollywood actor, Uma Thurman as the star of Jameson First Shot 2014 -‐ Uma Thurman will take on the lead role in three shorts written & directed by up-‐and-‐coming filmmakers in 2014, following on from Creative Director Kevin Spacey’s starring role in 2012 and Willem Dafoe’s in 2013 -‐ 1st October 2013 – Jameson Irish Whiskey today announced that Academy Award nominee, Uma Thurman will star in three short films produced for the Jameson First Shot competition in 2014. Jameson First Shot is an international short film competition which offers three aspiring filmmakers the chance to have their film made starring Uma Thurman, supported by two-‐time Academy Award winning actor, Kevin Spacey in his role as Creative Director. Dana Brunetti, Academy Award nominated producer and President of Trigger Street Productions will return to the 2014 competition with his production team to produce the three films. The success of the first two years of the competition has seen nearly 12 million people tune in to watch the winning films starring Kevin Spacey and Willem Dafoe on Jameson’s YouTube channel. The 2014 competition aims to discover another three exceptional writer/directors from the same three countries; South Africa, Russia and the USA. Uma Thurman will bring an exciting new quality to the competition, both as a skilled actor and the first female to take on the lead role for Jameson First Shot. Her versatility and acting style will stand her in good stead, having played characters as diverse as Irene Cassini in Gattaca, Cécile de Volanges in Dangerous Liaisons, The Bride in the Kill Bill franchise and most famously, Mia Wallace in Quentin Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction. Her commitment to supporting talented filmmakers of the future will make her an invaluable part of the 2014 competition. Thurman commented: “What excites me about being involved with Jameson First Shot is that I love the idea of finding and discovering young talent – it’s what makes the film business alive. Even though we’re making short films I don’t think anyone should feel limited in this form; if you look back over my work I’ve been many different characters so people should feel completely open to write whatever they are passionate about. I’m honored to be a part of this extraordinary project and I can’t wait to read the screenplays that are entered, and ultimately be the vehicle to help three talented filmmakers tell their stories to the world.” Kevin Spacey added: "She's remarkable and I'm thrilled Uma has said yes. Her work has always been unafraid and brave, so it doesn't surprise me that she's jumped with such commitment and enthusiasm into our short film project. I think it gives our filmmakers a very exciting opportunity to write for an actress of such range and skill. I look forward to seeing what the entrants come up with.” Once all scripts have been submitted, a shortlist will be chosen and each shortlisted candidate will be required to further showcase their flair for filmmaking by submitting a director’s treatment of their script and a piece of footage based on a scene provided by Trigger Street Productions. Once all entries have been extensively reviewed, the three winners will be chosen – one from each country – with each receiving the opportunity of a lifetime, getting the chance to fully immerse themselves in the world of movie-‐making. After being flown out to Hollywood, they will work directly with Trigger Street Productions on everything from casting to approving wardrobe and locations during pre-‐production. Moving into principle photography, each winner will be on set to direct Uma Thurman in the lead role in their film, before ending their experience by working with a composer on the score and signing off the final edit, ensuring their film is ready to be showcased to a global audience of millions. Talented filmmakers who think they have what it takes to win need to submit a script of no more than seven pages via www.jamesonfirstshot.com by 2nd January 2014. Inspired by one of three themes; ‘legendary’ or ‘humorous’ or a ‘very tall tale’, all submitted scripts will be judged by an expert team including Kevin Spacey, Uma Thurman and Dana Brunetti. As always, the judges are looking for fresh ideas, original concepts, fantastic structure and above all, great entertaining stories. For video content of Uma Thurman talking about the third year of Jameson First Shot please go to: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uLIzvRTgfCc or use the following embed code: <iframe width="640" height="360" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/q7JwHFJODXw" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> To enter the 2014 competition visit: www.jamesonfirstshot.com Contacts: Joanne Hunt Richard Brickley M&C Saatchi Sport & Entertainment Irish Distillers Pernod Ricard +44 (0)20 3617 8448 +353 (01) 212 9019 +44(0)7814 267 444 +353 (01) 212 9000 [email protected] Richard.Brickley@pernod-‐ricard.com For information regarding Kevin Spacey or Uma Thurman please contact: Jonathan Sanders, Finch & Partners / +44 (0)7920 465 541 For images, B-‐roll and additional media materials please visit www.jamesonfirstshot.com/press Notes to Editors Jameson Irish Whiskey is the world’s No 1 selling Irish whiskey. The success of the Irish brand is down to its great quality and smooth taste, coupled with a fantastic heritage, established in 1780 by the legendary John Jameson. Having played a part in film since 1998, today Jameson is involved with film festivals and events that celebrate the passion and craft of filmmaking including Jameson Cult Film Club, Done in 60 Seconds, the Jameson Empire Awards and Independent Spirit Awards, to name but a few. Jameson First Shot supports aspiring filmmakers and gives them their ‘first shot’ in the film industry by giving them the chance to direct an A-‐list star in their short film. Jameson First Shot is all about giving something back to a community of film craftsmen, encouraging and supporting up-‐and-‐coming film talent. UMA THURMAN Award-‐winning actress Uma Thurman has proven herself to be one of the industry's most versatile performers, lending her talents to an array of revered films. Thurman can currently be seen in Lars Von Trier's NYMPHOMANIC: Vol. 1 opposite Stacy Martin, Shia LaBeouf, Stellan Skarsgård and Charlotte Gainsbourg. Thurman portrays "Mrs. H," a woman scorned by her cheating husband and one of the many conquests of the film's protagonist, "Joe" (played by Martin). THE DAILY BEAST'S Marlow Stern describes Thurman's performance as "exhibiting the full spectrum of human emotion over the course of seven uninterrupted minutes. It is, without question, the highlight of Vol. I." Magnolia Pictures released Volume 1 of the film on March 21, 2014. Upcoming Thurman will begin production alongside Jesse Eisenberg and Kristen Stewart in AMERICAN ULTRA, an action comedy being directed by Nima Nourizadeh. Lionsgate will distribute the film. Also recently, Thurman earned her first Emmy® nomination for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Dramatic Series for her arc on NBC's series SMASH. Thurman is best known for her portrayal of "Mia Wallace," a sexy mobster's wife in Quentin Tarantino's critically lauded PULP FICTION. In 1995, she received an Academy Award® nomination for Best Supporting Actress for her role in the cult classic. Referred to as Tarantino's "muse," Thurman continued to work with the director for many years and garnered Golden Globe® Award nominations for her role of "The Bride" in his highly successful KILL BILL film franchise. ROLLING STONE likened her to "an avenging angel out of a 1940s Hollywood melodrama." Thurman's entrance into mainstream film began following her role as the goddess Venus in Terry Gilliam's fantasy THE ADVENTURES OF BARON MUNCHAUSEN. She went on to receive critical acclaim for her portrayal of a virginal 18th century convent girl, "Cecile de Volanges," in Stephen Frears' DANGEROUS LIAISONS, opposite John Malkovich. The following year, she starred opposite Fred Ward and Maria de Medeiros in Philip Kaufman's HENRY & JUNE. Additional film credits include BEAUTIFUL GIRLS, BATMAN & ROBIN, LES MISERABLES, SWEET AND LOWDOWN, TAPE for which she received an Independent Spirit Award nomination, HYSTERICAL BLINDNESS for which she won a Golden Globe® Award, BE COOL and THE PRODUCERS. In addition to her many accomplishments on screen, Thurman also serves on the Board of Directors for the children's foundation Room to Grow. Their mission is to enrich the lives of babies born into poverty throughout their critical first three years of development. Born in Boston and raised in Amherst, Thurman currently lives in New York City with her three children. KEVIN SPACEY Most recently award-‐winning producer and actor Kevin Spacey serves as executive producer and stars as Francis Underwood, the beguiling, charismatic and ruthless House Majority Whip, in the Netflix original series “House of Cards.” Co-‐produced by Trigger Street Productions, the Netflix series broke through to become the first digitally distributed series to earn major nominations for the 65th annual Primetime Emmy Awards. House of Cards is up for an incredible nine Emmy’s including Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series (Kevin Spacey) and Outstanding Drama Series. Kevin Spacey has won Academy Awards for his performances in “The Usual Suspects” and “American Beauty,” which also garnered him a BAFTA Award. Additionally, he was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for his role in “Casino Jack.” Spacey’s film credits include “Swimming with Sharks,” “Se7en,” “LA Confidential,” “Glengarry Glen Ross,” “The Negotiator,” “K-‐Pax,” “The Shipping News,” “Superman Returns,” “Beyond the Sea,” “Shrink,” “The Men Who Stare at Goats,” “Horrible Bosses,” and “Margin Call.” His production company Trigger Street Productions has produced multiple award-‐winning movies for film and television. The feature films include “The Social Network,” which won a Golden Globe for Best Picture and received multiple Academy Award nominations, as well as “21,” “The United States of Leland,” “The Big Kahuna,” and “Fanboys.” For television, Trigger Street produced the films “Recount” and “Bernard & Doris,” both of which garnered double-‐digit Emmy Award nominations including best picture of the year for recount. This year will see the release of "Captain Phillips" starring Tom Hanks directed by Paul Greengrass. For the past decade, he has been the Artistic Director of The Old Vic Theatre in London. He has appeared in productions at the Old Vic, including “National Anthems,” “The Philadelphia Story,” “Richard II,” “A Moon for the Misbegotten,” which subsequently transferred to Broadway, “Speed-‐the-‐Plow,” and “Inherit The Wind.” In 2010 he was honored with a CBE from Her Majesty the Queen for services to the theatre. Additionally, he won the Evening Standard and Olivier Awards for Best Actor for his role in “The Iceman Cometh,” as well as a Tony Award® for Best Supporting Actor in “Lost in Yonkers.” Spacey has also starred in the Broadway and West End productions of “Long Day’s Journey into Night,” as well as Sam Mendes production of “Richard III,” which toured to 12 cities around the world. DANA BRUNETTI Feature film and TV producer, Dana Brunetti is Kevin Spacey’s long-‐time business partner and President of Trigger Street Productions. His film credits include 21, Fanboys, Bernard and Doris, Casino Jack and The Social Network, which received numerous awards including eight Academy Award nominations. Recently Dana produced the much acclaimed House Of Cards. Dana was nominated twice and won a Golden Globe for The Social Network, as well as many others including the National Board of Review and The Critics Choice Award. Dana also produced the multi-‐Emmy nominated film Bernard and Doris. Architect of several ground-‐breaking deals, Dana set up the eight year Anheuser Busch sponsorship of TriggerStreet.com, AB's longest sponsor outside of sports. Recently, Dana helped secure a mega-‐deal with Netflix as part of their new slate of original programming for TV political thriller House of Cards, which continues the collaboration of Kevin Spacey and Social Network director, David Fincher. Dana’s current projects include new Tom Hanks movie, Captain Philips which chronicles the life of Captain Richard Phillips and his crew's encounter with Somali pirates. Dana is also currently in production on the much-‐hyped 50 Shades of Grey. TRIGGER STREET PRODUCTIONS Trigger Street Productions is an entertainment production company formed by Kevin Spacey and his producing partner Dana Brunetti in 1997. Trigger Street’s credits include Golden-‐Globe winning an Oscar nominated The Social Network and the Emmy-‐nominated Bernard and Doris, as well as numerous other film productions including 21, Shrink, Fanboys and The Big Kahuna. TriggerStreet.com was launched in 2002 as an online community for unrepresented filmmakers, writers, readers, and film aficionados, which provides a platform for undiscovered talent to showcase their work and gain valuable exposure. Current projects include House of Cards for Netflix’s burgeoning slate of original programming.