Kaos Films has announced the winner of its first feature competition — John Paul Sheerin’s The Legend Of New York Pizza wins the 2008 British Feature Screenplay Competition.

The prize is notable because it also comes with Kaos on board to produce the winning script, up to a budget of $2 million. Kaos is putting the script into development now, with Arif Hussein attached to direct. An autumn 2009 shoot is planned.

Sheerin said “Having been chasing the holy grail of having a feature film produced for almost two decades, you can imagine the rollercoaster of emotions that you would ride if someone out of the blue told you that your lifelong ambition was fast on its way to becoming a reality. Yes Virginia, there is a Santa Claus. To have your work critiqued by such luminaries of the industry is one thing - to have them endorse you to this level is almost too much to comprehend.”

In addition to production from Kaos, Sheerin will also be offered representation by Katharine Vile at United Agents.

The four runners-up in the competition are: Tom Cosgrove’s Dark Zone; Mikey Murray’s Across The Water; Ramani Moonesinghe, Richard Loffhagen and Mark Paul’s Sux Racing; and Elizabeth Nolan’s This Modern Love.

Kaos has run the successful British Short Screenplay Compeition for nine years, with projects including Venice award winner The Stars Don’t Twinkle In Outer Space.

The jurors for Kaos include Kenneth Branagh, Michael Kuhn, Alan Parker, Stephen Woolley and Nik Powell.

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