For Immediate Release
February 27, 2001

One of Three Aspiring Filmmakers About To Get the "Greenlight"

Three Amateur Filmmakers to Interview with Executive Producers Chris Moore, Matt Damon, Ben Affleck and Miramax to become Writer-Director of Miramax's Project Greenlight Film

Los Angeles, CA -Project Greenlight, a first-of-its-kind venture from Miramax Films & TV, HBO, LivePlanet and its newly announced corporate sponsor Samuel Adams, has selected three finalists in the Project Greenlight contest from entries submitted by more than 10,000 people. The announcement of the Top Three was revealed at a "Top Ten" event, appropriately hosted by Pop Secret Microwave Popcorn on February 26, 2001.

Project Greenlight's Top Ten contestants were brought to Hollywood for a screening of short scenes from their screenplays which they shot using a filmmaker package supplied by Avid technologies for one of the final rounds of the contest. At the event, executive producers Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, Chris Moore and Billy Campbell announced that the top three screenplays are: "Freeing Mr. Jiggs," by the team of Evan Katz and Barron Ebenstein of Los Angeles, CA; "Speakeasy" by Brendan Murphy of Atlanta, GA; and "Stolen Summer" by Pete Jones of Los Angeles, CA.

Last September Project Greenlight invited amateur screenwriters to submit original screenplays electronically to the Project Greenlight contest at www.projectgreenlight.com. Miramax Films has committed to provide the winning contestant or team with a minimum $1 million production budget to direct their film, which will be executive produced by Matt Damon, Ben Affleck and Chris Moore. Miramax has also guaranteed to release the film in theatres. At the same time, Miramax Television will chronicle the making of the movie in a 13-episode documentary series that gives the audience an insider's look at the movie-making process, slated to air on HBO in early 2002.

"We are looking forward to interviewing the three finalists," said Billy Campbell, president of Miramax Television. "They have written outstanding screenplays and demonstrated strong directorial ability to earn this incredible opportunity. Now, those making the decision are faced with the challenge of selecting only one of these talented filmmakers who have worked so hard to get here."

The contest received over 7,000 screenplays, which were reviewed and rated by the contestants and members of the Project Greenlight community. Writers of the 250 highest rated submissions were asked to submit filmmakers' videos to allow the executive producers to "meet" the filmmakers and evaluate which contestants possessed the leadership, vision, talent and creativity necessary to excel as the director of the Project Greenlight film. Based on the filmmakers' videos, the executive producers selected and read thirty screenplays.

Based on the scripts and filmmaker videos, the executive producers selected Top Ten contestants who were each sent an Independent Filmmaker's prize package supplied by Avid Technology, Inc., to assist them in producing a short, three-minute scene from their screenplay.

The Independent Filmmaker's prize package included: Avid Xpress® DV 1.5 software for digital video editing, DVD delivery, and web streaming, with 12-months of Avid Xpress DV telephone support; a Dell Precision Workstation 220 and a Sony TRV 20 DV camera. The Independent Filmmaker's prize package from Avid is valued at more than $8,000 (USMSRP), and includes many of the capabilities found in Avid's high-end products that are being used by professionals to edit 95 percent of primetime television and 80 percent of feature films produced around the world.

The scenes were shown at the Top Ten event on Monday, February 26, where Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, Chris Moore and Billy Campbell announced the three finalists. Each of the three finalists will undergo an extensive interview process with the executive producers of the Project Greenlight film to determine the screenplay and director that will be chosen. The winner will be announced on or about March 1, 2001.

"This is one of the most exciting moments in Project Greenlight, because we finally get to meet these aspiring filmmakers face to face, knowing that one of them is going to get a chance to live their dream by making their screenplay into a movie," said Chris Moore. "We also get to show people in Hollywood that new voices in film can come from anywhere, and that if you use new media and traditional media in the right combination, you can create an idea like Project Greenlight that is bigger than just a television show, or a online community, or a film. It is an entertainment experience that encompasses all of those things, giving the audience more access into the creative process and more choice in how to watch or participate in it."

The new Sam Adams partnership with Miramax and LivePlanet, which was announced at the Top Ten event, came out of the three companies' support for the discovery of independent creative excellence.

The final three screenplays and the top ten scenes are posted on the Project Greenlight website (www.projectgreenlight.com). For more details and official rules about the Project Greenlight contest, visit www.projectgreenlight.com.