Project Greenlight is an American documentary television series focusing on first-time filmmakers being given the chance to direct a feature film. It was created by Alex Keledjian, developed by Eli Holzman and produced by Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, Sean Bailey, and Chris Moore through their production company LivePlanet, along with Miramax Films. Project Greenlight first aired on HBO for two seasons (aired 2001–03) before moving to Bravo for season 3 in 2005. The series returned in 2015 for a fourth season airing on HBO. On July 26, 2016, the series was canceled. In May 2021, HBO Max (later Max) picked up the series with an 8-episode order produced by Issa Rae through her production company Hoorae Media. The revival titled Project Greenlight: A New Generation premiered on July 13, 2023.
Episodes
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! colspan="2" rowspan="2" |Season
! rowspan="2" |Episodes
! colspan="3" |Originally aired
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! Season premiere
! Season finale
! Network
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|1
|12
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|rowspan=2|HBO
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|2
|13
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|3
|9
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|Bravo
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|4
|8
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|HBO
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|5
|10
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|HBO Max
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Season 1 (2001–02)
The script contest ran from September 2000 to March 2001. Over 7,000 screenplays were submitted, and Pete Jones was selected as the winner for Stolen Summer, which he then filmed on location in his hometown of Chicago during the summer of 2001. The first season of Project Greenlight, helmed by show runner and co-executive producer Liz Bronstein, chronicled the selection of Jones's script and the filming of the movie, aired on HBO from late 2001 through early 2002. Stolen Summer premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2002, then went on to a limited theatrical release which brought in just under $140,000.
Season 2 (2003)
For its second run, the contest was split into two categories: writing and directing. The winners were chosen on January 18, 2003. Erica Beeney won the writing contest for her script The Battle of Shaker Heights, and Kyle Rankin and Efram Potelle won the directing contest. The film stars Shia LaBeouf, Elden Henson, Amy Smart, and William Sadler. The series aired in the summer of 2003, detailing the production of the film in Los Angeles. The Battle of Shaker Heights opened in limited theatrical release on August 24, 2003, earning just under $280,000 during its box office run.
Season 3 (2005)
Script submission began and ended during February 2004. After two seasons on HBO, the series moved to Bravo and season 3 began airing on March 15, 2005.
The selected screenplay was a horror script titled Feast written by Marcus Dunstan and Patrick Melton. The director was John Gulager. The film stars Balthazar Getty, Krista Allen, Jason Mewes, and Eric Dane and was produced by Dimension Films and Neo Art & Logic.
The film ran for a special late night showing on September 22 and 23, 2006, almost a year after its premiere. Feast earned just under $690,000 during its box office run. The DVD was released on October 17, 2006, earning an additional $4,687,595. The film spawned two sequels: Feast II: Sloppy Seconds and Feast III: The Happy Finish.
Season 4 (2015)
On April 2, 2015, Project Greenlight announced the first annual Greenie award winners.
- Best Comedy: Heist – Director: Brianna Lux and Tony Lazzeroni
- Best Drama: A Room for Aden – Director: Douglas Yablun
- Best Action: Stan Lee Parkour – Director: Tom Grey
- Most Unique: Listen – Director: Joshua Ortiz
- Best Horror: The Table – Director: Shane Free
- Most "WTF": Pink Shorts – Director: Jeff Huston
In September 2015, Project Greenlight became the subject of controversy when an episode aired of Matt Damon disagreeing with producer Effie Brown over the subject of diversity. A later controversy developed over the titling of the season's sixth episode as "Hot Ghetto Mess" involving Brown's attempt to make sure one of the films did not partake in racial stereotypes, which was to be corrected before airing and replaced with "The Pivot", but was never resolved before airtime.
The Leisure Class debuted on HBO on November 2, 2015.
Season 5 (2023)
Season 5 is a revival of the original series, rebooted as Project Greenlight: A New Generation, premiered on July 13, 2023. The show intentionally shifts the focus to emerging female filmmakers, addressing a long-standing lack of representation behind the camera. Instead of Damon and Affleck, the reboot is led by a new creative team Issa Rae (Executive Producer, mentor, on-camera guide, Kumail Nanjiani (mentor), Gina Prince-Bythewood (mentor/director). The season follows the selection of filmmaker Meko Winbush who is given the opportunity to direct her first feature film. She is provided with a script for the sci-fi thriller Gray Matter and is tasked with developing and revising it with limited time, encountering all of the creative and logistical challenges of filmmaking. Gray Matter premiered on HBO Max on July 13, 2023, the same day as the show.
Awards and nominations
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! scope="col" width="5%" | Year
! scope="col" width="15%" | Award
! scope="col" width="15%" | Category
! scope="col" width="50%" | Nominee(s)
! scope="col" width="10%" | Result
! scope="col" width="5%" | Ref.
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| 2002
| Primetime Emmy Award
| Outstanding Non-Fiction Program (Reality)
| Ben Affleck, Sean Bailey, Liz Bronstein, Billy Campbell, Matt Damon, Tina Gazzerro, Eli Holzman, Chris Moore, Harvey Weinstein, Bob Weinstein, Tony Yates
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| 2004
| Primetime Emmy Award
| Outstanding Reality Program
| Ben Affleck, Sean Bailey, Dan Cutforth, Matt Damon, Eli Holzman, Jane Lipsitz, Chris Moore, Bob Osher, Randy Sacks, Harvey Weinstein, Bob Weinstein, Tony Yates
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