MELVILLE, NY — Canon USA has selected 20 finalists from the “Project Imaginat10n” Film Contest where amateurs and hobbyists were invited to sit in the director’s chair, showcasing their storytelling abilities by creating a short film inspired by a series of crowdsourced photographs.
The project, helmed by two-time Academy Award-winner Ron Howard is the next phase in the "Project Imaginat10n"creative exercise proving Ron's very own words that "we're all creative." Eva Longoria (film and TV actress), Jamie Foxx (Academy Award-winner), Biz Stone (co-founder of Twitter), Georgina Chapman (designer and co-founder of Marchesa) and James Murphy (founder of LCD SOUNDSYSTEM) all directed short films inspired by 10 consumer photographs earlier this year.
In the coming weeks, Ron Howard and Bryce Dallas Howard, the first "graduating" director of the Project Imagin8ion experiment, will narrow the finalists down to five winning directors. Packaged together as "A Ron Howard Presentation," the five consumer and five celebrity films will be featured at Canon's Project Imaginat10n Film Festival in fall 2013.
"Project Imaginat10n has enabled artistry among filmmakers of all levels and inspired people in the most contrasting disciplines to pursue filmmaking, completely redefining 'art' and proving that 'we're all creative,'" said Ron Howard. "For year two, it was important to me to open the experiment to the masses, especially at film schools where Bryce had the opportunity to share her experience."
"This exercise continues to prove that creativity and collaboration generate endless possibilities that mark the state of our time," said Bryce Dallas Howard. "All you need is some basic equipment, an imagination and a burning desire to tell a story."
The Finalists chosen include:
- Arrius Sorbonne of Salt Lake City, UT with "Dominus"
- Arron Marie Fenton of North Hollywood, CA with "Static"
- Brad Watts of Trenton, NJ with "MASK"
- Damon Colquhoun of New York, NY with "Transporter"
- Dan Foley of Westerville, OH with "Tied Up"
- Geneva Arena of Oxford, KS with "The Donor"
- Iva Antioco of Redondo Beach, CA with "Auburn"
- Jared Nelson of Rancho Cucamonga, CA with "Chucked"
- Jasmine Johnson of West Hollywood, CA with "Sugar"
- Jon Abrahams of Virginia Beach, VA with "Will Power"
- Joshua James Kolozsy of Nashville, TN with "BLAME"
- Jules Bianchi of Oakland, CA with "Apocolypso"
- Julian Higgins of Los Angeles, CA with "Here and Now"
- Kalman Apple of Los Angeles, CA with "A Day in the Country"
- Kellie Madison of Los Angeles, CA with "THE CAUL"
- Lee Cipolla of Hollywood, CA with "Reflection"
- Michael Kuznar of Eau Claire, WI with "Day 43"
- R.W. Perkins of Fort Collins, CO with "The Big Wait"
- Ronnie Allman of San Francisco, CA with "Filter"
- Sammie Saxon of Columbus, GA with "Shoot Me"
The consumer directed films can be seen at www.imagination.usa.canon.com on August 19, 2013. The five winning filmmakers will be announced in September 2013.