YouTube Announces Project Direct Winner
YouTube announced today the winner and runners-up in its Project: Direct competition. The winning film, "Ties", by Adriana Falcão of Brazil, was chosen by popular vote after director Jason Reitman (Thank You for Smoking and Juno) and a panel from Fox Searchlight narrowed hundreds of entries down to 20 finalists.
For her prize, Falcão gets nine days at a "major international film festival," a $5k debit card, and a meeting with Fox Searchlight execs. Her film, "Ties", will also appear on YouTube's homepage in seven different countries. The film has already racked up 100k+ views, tens of thousands of which were garnered today after the announcement (which, with the writer's strike and all, comes at an auspicious time). I wonder how Jason Reitman felt judging amateur work when professionals are out.
"Ties" is a simple but intriguing, magical-realist short about a girl who flees her father's funeral only to encounter a young man who won't let her pass until she knots his tie. Aside from the heavy-handed use of a recurring song at dramatic moments -- watch the short enough, it starts to sound like the gong on Law and Order -- the film is thoroughly enjoyable.
