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DISS,

The Establishing Shot: See The 5 Jameson Done In 60 Seconds DISS UK Finalists short films right here

This Sunday 25th March, another highlight of the glittering UK film season takes place. I am of course talking about the 17th JAMESON EMPIRE AWARDS! Where, after fans (& regular people) have chosen their favourite films and stars of the year to be taken into consideration, they are possibly celebrated at the awards ceremony held annually at the very swanky Grosvenor House Hotel.

After months of fans (& regular people) voting on the Jameson Empire Awards website it all comes down to this one star studded event. Where everyone who is anyone (at least in the world of film) walks the red carpet for an evening of not just awards but lots of fun as well.

Don’t underestimate the fan (& regular people) aspect of this. This isn’t about a bunch of crusty old men needing pampering while the discussing their choices like “well it’s not so much about it being a national pastime, in fact the film kind of kills the humanness behind the sport in favour of a numbers/computer driven approach - but rather it’s about him bringing his leggy wife & that funny kid who has the important 20 something vote.” And “well, no it’s not just because, that guy reminds of the guy who lives next door to my Hawaiian holiday home, although he is just as funny and wears the same type of shirts - really we need him to bring some glamour to the show and they ain’t pitching up without being nominated. So as lame as their films are they’re in”

This is all about the people who are actually paying for film tickets choosing their favourites. But this post isn’t just about the Jameson Empire Awards 2012. But rather one of the 12 categories - The Jameson Empire Done in 60 Seconds or DISS short film competition. If you have been living in a hole on Blackheath common for the last 4 years and unaware of DISS:

Now in it's 5th year the Jameson Empire Done in 60 Seconds is an annual amateur film making competition. In no more than 60 seconds, film buffs are required to recreate their favourite, iconic movie from any genre by distilling the film down to its essence and creating a one minute masterpiece. Even though it's a very glam affair with the winners receiving their prize at the prestigious and star-studded Jameson Empire Awards ceremony - it's really a fun opportunity for aspiring film-makers (and funsters) to show their skills and get some important exposure.

Here is a short clip of this year’s DISS Ambassador and funny man Chris O'Dowd talking about the Jameson Empire Done in 60 Seconds  as well as his work including his upcoming participation in the 2012 Olympics.
You can watch our interview with the 2011 Jameson Empire Done in 60 Seconds Ambassador - Director Tom Hooper (King’s Speech, The Damned United) currently working on his adaptation of Les Misérables starring Hugh Jackman, Russell Crowe, Anne Hathaway and Amanda Seyfried about his involvement in the Jameson Empire Done in 60 Seconds Competition over here: http://www.theestablishingshot.com/2011/02/tom-hooper-interview-done-in-60-seconds.html

“Not only are the UK's top film talent at the Jameson Empire Awards but the shorts are judged by a panel of notable talent who select 5 final nominees. Those finalists will go on to attend the star-studded Jameson Empire Awards, where the ultimate winner will be announced. As winner, they’ll have the chance to rub shoulders with the movie elite, and perhaps make that all-important connection with a Spielberg affiliate who will launch your career into the stratosphere. After all, this is a big showbiz event, and anything is possible in showbiz.”

The 5 final DISS nominees were announced last week and their ingenuous and entertaining films can be seen further below as well as all the shortlisted entries over here: http://www.empireonline.com/awards2012/diss/ .

The 2012 UK finalists include three budding directors who have previously entered the competition:  Jack Kendall , Simon Jago and Michael Whaite. Jack Kendall  re-created The King’s Speech , the Oscar winning picture directed by last year’s Jameson Empire  Done in 60 Second’s  judge, Tom Hooper. Simon Jago created a remake of the cult science fiction horror movie  The Thing and Michael Whaite reduced the Star Wars Trilogy down to 60 seconds with his quirky animated film.  New to the competition are David Smith, with his remake of Steven Spielberg’s epic picture War Horse and Philip Askins with his 60 second animation of Raiders of the Lost Ark.


The five finalists have seen off strong competition from fifteen other shortlisted UK entries, which included remakes of classics like Back To The Future, Reservoir Dogs and Point Break alongside sixty second takes on modern favourites such as No Country For Old Men and Hostel. . The UK entries were whittled down to a shortlist of five finalists by  16,000 avid film fans voting online.

I personally think that Russell Holliss’s Blade Runner should have made the cut as well.In no particular order here are the finalists films.

Now, the UK finalists face opposition from  28 other entries coming from  20 countries (including Russia, Ireland, Germany, India and Chile),  all of whom will be showcased at the Jameson Empire Done In 60 Seconds Global Final at the London Film Museum on Friday 23rd March.








I have managed to crack an invite to the UK 2012 DISS finalists dinner this Friday.Where I’ll hopefully have the opportunity for an informal chat with the finalists about their entries and techniques ahead of the winners announcement this Sunday. As well as of course partake in some fine food, drink and conversation. I'll  have a full report up soon(ish).

For more info and updates head over to: http://www.empireonline.com/awards2012/diss/


Jameson and Film
Since 1998 Jameson has had a strong connection with the world of film starting with the creation of the Jameson Short Film Award, presented at film festivals all over the world. Fourteen years later Jameson is still involved in some of the most exciting global film events from the Jameson Dublin International Film Festival to the Independent Spirit awards in LA.

In the UK, Jameson and Empire, the world's biggest movie magazine, teamed up in 2009 when Jameson became the title sponsor of the Empire Awards. An awards ceremony that is voted by the readers is the perfect embodiment of Jameson's link with film – it's about a love of film.  In addition to the Jameson Empire Awards 2012, the new fourth season of Jameson Cult Film Club screenings continues in March. Jameson Cult Film Club is a series of exciting film experiences showing the best in cult film in unusual locations staged to transport you into the film’s universe. For a full events schedule and your free tickets visit www.jamesoncultfilmclub.com or www.facebook.com/jamesoncultfilmclub.


THE ESTABLISHING SHOT: SEE THE 5 JAMESON DONE IN 60 SECONDS DISS UK FINALISTS SHORT FILMS RIGHT HERE