PARK CITY, UTAH — The popular comedic YouTube network Jash, cofounded by a series of Hollywood celebrities and producers, won the Jury Award in U.S. fiction at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival for the dark comedic short film Gregory Go Boom.
The 17-minute short film, directed by Janicza Bravo, features Jash cofounder Michael Cera, who plays a paraplegic that leaves home to be on his own. The film was originally released as a part of YouTube Comedy Week in May 2013 and went on to become one of the 66 selected shorts judged by the Sundance Institute, of more than 8,100 submissions. Only three out of that collection were made originally for YouTube, two of which were made by Jash.
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Jash, which launched at the 2013 SXSW Festival, is comprised of a series of popular comedians, including Sarah Silverman and Reggie Watts, as well as producers such as Daniel Kellison (Jimmy Kimmel Live and Late Show with David Letterman). The network allows comedians and artists to create and control their own digital content; it helps them with the financing, production resources, editing facilities and personnel to create online videos.
Gregory Goes Boom was selected by Sundance's three-person jury, including producer and writer Vernon Chatman, actor/filmmaker Joshua Leonard and Ania Trzebiatowska, artistic director of the Off Plus Camera International Festival of Independent Cinema.
Sundance will announce the rest of the winners on Saturday, Jan. 25 at an awards ceremony hosted by Nick Offerman and Megan Mullaly.
You can watch the short film below:

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