Six Hollywood filmmakers have been selected to showcase their 3D talents during the 2011 DIRECTV n3D™ Film Invitational, Presented by Panasonic. The films will premiere during the invitational on July 20 at the Paley Center for Media in Beverly Hills. In addition, two-time Emmy® Award-winning director and producer, Paris Barclay (“Sons of Anarchy,” “NYPD Blue”), has signed on to be a featured judge on the panel that will select the Invitational’s n3D Excellence Award recipient.

The filmmakers were selected out of a pool of talented individuals who presented an original, live action short film concept that followed this year’s invitational theme of “Anything is Possible,” to a panel of distinguished judges. The filmmakers include:

• Kevin Brownridge – Kevin Brownridge is a writer, producer and director who has worked on shows such as “7th Heaven” for Paramount Television, as well as other projects for Fox Searchlight, MTV Films, Nickelodeon, Big Ticket Television. He will showcase the 3D short, “Super Temps,” an action/comedy about a shy, introverted man who overcomes his fears to get the girl of his dreams.
• Levi Holiman – Levi Holiman is a writer, producer and director who has created dozens of award-winning short films, including “All Good Things” and “Dark as Day,” and is currently working on the documentary “Dirty Hands,” which is being filmed in New Orleans and gives a detailed look at the rebuilding of the city after Hurricane Katrina. Holiman will present the 3D family drama “Nickel Ride,” which follows two grandsons who must come to grips with the fact that their grandfather is dying, and are determined to give him one last adventure.

• Martin Kunert - Martin Kunert (writer/director), and his filmmaking partner, Eric Manes (writer/producer), are filmmakers who have created reality shows, documentaries, dramatic TV, independent films and sold screenplays to studios. They are known for creating innovative projects like “Voices of Iraq,” a critically acclaimed documentary made by sending 150 digital video cameras to Iraqis to film their own lives. Their 3D short, “The Ripper,” is a steampunk take on Victorian England; where following the murder of her sister by Jack the Ripper, a young woman secretly hunts down and kills the infamous serial killer.
• Ambika Leigh - Ambika Leigh is an emerging filmmaker, with experience in the entire filmmaking process. She has worked as a development executive, a freelance editor, producer and videographer, and more recently as a director. Her last short film, “Switchboard,” has recently started the festival circuit and is already winning several awards. She will showcase her 3D short, “Fetch,” an action/comedy starring Luci “STEEL” Romberg (the number one female parkour runner in the world), which features dueling apprentices, a trickster magician, and a high-speed race for a latte.
• Vanessa Newell - Assistant Professor Vanessa Newell is an award-winning writer, director and editor, who also teaches film production and editing at Loyola Marymount University. She has edited numerous documentaries that have aired on network and cable television, as well as independent features and many short films, including the Emmy-nominated film “Sway.” As a writer/director, her short films have won awards and screened at film festivals across North America and Europe. Newell will feature the 3D short, “Hazelwood,” a wacky horror/comedy about a genetically altered lab rat that is accidentally let out of its cage.
• Monica Sender - Monica Sender is currently pursuing her Master of Fine Arts at the USC School of Cinematic Arts with an emphasis on directing. At USC, she was selected to direct a school-financed short film “You Kill Me,” which recently played in the Belgrade International Film Festival, and will be screened at the 33rd Moscow International Film festival this month. Sender will showcase the 3D short “The Boy and the Officer” a dramatic film set during WWII that navigates questions of morality and survival through the eyes of a child and a German officer.

“As an avid consumer of 3D film, I’m incredibly excited to see what these filmmakers have up their sleeves,” said Barclay. “They represent the future of our medium – and while storytelling will never go out of style, great storytelling with compelling images you can all but touch is the wave of tomorrow.”

“This is an extremely talented group of filmmakers who blew us away with their innovative presentations during the pitch session,” said Chris Long, senior vice president, DIRECTV Entertainment and Production. “3D is still a growing medium and it is filmmakers like these who are going to continue to push this category forward and provide a compelling 3D product that will increase adoption and deliver a quality 3D viewing experience in the home. We are honored to have renowned director and producer Paris Barclay help us judge the final films and we can’t wait to share them with 3D viewers across the country.”

“Training and equipping such gifted storytellers with Panasonic’s latest professional 3D video cameras and reference monitors will help to further demonstrate the rich potential that 3D offers for the realization of the director’s vision,” said Eisuke Tsuyuzaki, Chief Technology Officer of Panasonic Corporation of North America. “As consumer adoption of 3D TV grows steadily, the value of 3D as a powerful and easily accessible tool for filmmakers of every stripe is becoming more and more apparent. Panasonic is proud that these new 3D films will premiere in the 2011 DIRECTV n3D™ Film Invitational Presented by Panasonic, and we are confident they will further accelerate the growth of the film community’s interest in 3D entertainment for the home and cinema.”

The selected filmmakers were given the opportunity to train on the latest 3D equipment from Panasonic, participated in Technicolor’s renowned 3D Master Class training and received funding from DIRECTV and Panasonic to create their 3D short films. The winner of the Invitational’s n3D Excellence Award will receive $25,000, and Technicolor will also present an additional filmmaker with a 3D TechnicalAchievement Award and $5,000. In addition to the event at the Paley Center for Media, the films will premiere on DIRECTV’s exclusive 3D channel, n3D™, powered by Panasonic, this fall.

The use of the Paley Center’s facilities does not constitute endorsement by the Paley Center of any views expressed during this event.

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