John Jameson Productions short film competition 2010

First published on 1 Feb 2010. Updated on 29 Mar 2010.

Time is running out for entries to the 2010 John Jameson Productions Short Film Competition.

That means the 200 word short film synopsis burning a hole in your brain has until March 28 to take flight and win you a cool $20,000 towards making your 3 minute film plus give you the chance to receive personal mentoring from some of Australian cinema’s great minds.

So if you’re a creative soul keen to convert your film-making fantasies into reality in the form of a three-minute short with an unexpected ending, act now and log on to John Jameson Productions.

For proof of what wondrous treasures await you, check out the three 2009 finalists here (see below):

Cockroach

Cockroach is by Raen Fraser, the Stanley Kubrick of Concord in the inner-west of Sydney, and tells the tale of a man killed on his wedding day and reincarnated as a cockie. It stars Damon Gameau, star of Balibo, Underbelly and The Tracker.

Viva Las Possum

Viva Las Possum is from Victorian Andy Muir and follows the story of a beast in a roof who might or might not be Elvis Presley himself. It stars Sophie Cleary, Rudi Baker, Joel Russel, Marc Kay and a fleet of cape-wearing "King" impersonators.

Providence Park

Providence Park hatched from Hugh Jellie's mind and sets out to prove that "sometimes love is just a walk in the park". Here, one such stroll turns magical when a little dog named Cricket returns not with a stick but carrying the wildest dreams of his master.

These three finalists were judged by an eminent panel of industry luminaries – actor Roy Billing (Underbelly 2, The Dish), esteemed scriptwriter Jan Sardi (The Notebook, Mao's Last Dancer), director Darren Ashton (Thunderstruck, Razzle Dazzle) and Anna-Maria Monticelli (La Spagnola, Disgrace) and represent a triumph for the "great idea".

"The script is the foundation of every film and every TV production and yet it's the most neglected area of the Australian industry," Roy Billing told Time Out. "Hats off to Jameson for turning the tide back in favour of the written word!"

Screenwriter Jan Sardi, whose screenplay for Bruce Beresford's Mao's Last Dancer received raves, concurs with Billing.

"There's a remarkable lack of respect paid to the craft of scriptwriting in this country," he said. "But the JJP Screenplay Competition acknowledges that even a three-minute film has an emotional heartbeat threading together a beginning, middle and end," Sardi says.

John Jameson Productions Timeline:

28 March 2010:Deadline for your 200 word synopsis of a short film idea with “an unexpected ending” to be submitted at johnjamesonproductions.com.au

April 2010:Final screenplays submitted followed by six finalists announced and invited to attend a workshop in Sydney to help develop the ideas into screenplays.

May 2010: Final screenplays judged by a panel of six high profile screen professionals. Three winners announced at a Winner's lunch in Sydney.

Mid 2010: All 3 films produced and screened at a World Premiere.

Got a great film idea? Visit John Jameson Productions to enter.