AND THEN THERE WERE 20…
Article by Adam Mast
As you may have already heard, Ben Affleck and Matt Damon are bringing PROJECT GREENLIGHT back to HBO. The goal of the series is to pluck a film-maker from obscurity and give him/her a chance at the big time. After the best of the best is chosen, HBO will document the director as he/she sets out to make a feature length film.
The first step required film-makers to submit a 3 minute short and out of thousands of entries, online voters whittled the film entry pool down to a Top 200. Those in the Top 200 were then asked to put together a humorous 2 minute bio explaining a little bit about themselves and how film-making changed the fabric of their being. Ultimately, the Top 200 was knocked down to a Top 20, and that’s where things are sitting right now.
Head on over to PROJECT GREENLIGHT and pick your favorite short, but do it quickly because voting ends on September 26th. You can only vote once so make that vote count. The short film that gets the most online votes will automatically advance to the top 10, while Affleck and Damon will pick the remaining 9 finalists.
There’s a handful of solid efforts in the mix but if you want this film lover’s opinion, I’m going with Taylor Engel’s stylish noir thriller, THE PAVEMENT. It’s well shot, beautifully edited, and makes the best use of the 3 minute running time. With shades of WATCHMEN, SIN CITY, and MEMENTO, it definitely left the strongest opinion on me. Other highlights include BEANIE BROS., DELICACY, LIVING WITH JIGSAW, BY THE POOL, and MAGIC MATTY.
Have a look at the top 20 films, form your own opinion, and be sure to vote. PROJECT GREENLIGHT is slated to premiere on HBO later this year.
