Canon and Ron Howard Launch 'Project Imaginat10n' Showcasing Films Inspired by User Submitted Photographs

Canon U.S.A., Inc., a leader in digital imaging solutions, and two-time Academy Award winner Ron Howard, are officially launching the "Project Imaginat10n" Film Festival, which will kick off with the global premiere of ten short films at Lincoln Center in New York City today. Following the premiere, screenings will be held in Los Angeles, CA hosted by Bryce Dallas Howard, the first graduating director of Canon's Project Imagin8ion as well as in Brooklyn, NY hosted by James Murphy, a celebrity director for Project Imaginat10n. Yahoo Screen will continue celebrating the Film Festival from October 25, 2013 through the end of the year where consumers can view each of the 10 films.

Proving Ron Howard's words "we're all creative," five innovative celebrities took to the director's chair - Jamie Foxx (Academy Award winner), Eva Longoria (Golden Globe nominated and SAG Award winning actress), Georgina Chapman (designer and co-founder of Marchesa), James Murphy (founder of LCD SOUNDSYSTEM) and Biz Stone (co-founder of Twitter). The project launched with a photo contest, inviting the masses to interpret 10 storytelling themes through photography. After receiving thousands of submissions, 91 winning photos were announced. Then, the directors each chose nine photos, one from each theme, to inspire their films. A 10th photo in the Discovery theme, selected by Ron Howard, was utilized in all films to create a common thread.

Canon gave consumers of all skill levels an opportunity to showcase their creativity and storytelling abilities by undertaking the same creative exercise-selecting photos from the same pool as the celebrity directors to inspire short films. With hundreds of user generated films submitted, Ron Howard and Bryce Dallas Howard selected five winning films.

"I am so proud to be part of this creative journey with Canon, the impetus to ten inspiring, brave and audacious films that are a testament to the power of the imagination," said Ron Howard.

"From inviting the masses to submit photographs to shape the creative direction of a film to then challenging consumers to direct their own short films, Project Imaginat10n has been a user generated project from start to finish," said Yuichi Ishizuka, executive vice president and general manager, Imaging Technologies & Communications Group, Canon U.S.A. "In an effort to continue our collaboration with the community, we are pleased to take the concept of a film festival to a new level, asking consumers to watch the films side-by-side online."

"A Ron Howard Presentation" consists of 10 films including:

• Jamie Foxx, Celebrity Director - "...And She Was My Eve"
• Eva Longoria, Celebrity Director - "Out of the Blue"
• Georgina Chapman, Celebrity Director - "A Dream of Flying"
• James Murphy, Celebrity Director - "Little Duck"
• Biz Stone, Celebrity Director - "Evermore"
• Arrius Sorbonne, Winning Director - "Dominus"
• Jared Nelson, Winning Director - "Chucked"
• Julian Higgins, Winning Director - "Here and Now"
• Kalman Apple, Winning Director - "A Day in the Country"
• Ronnie Allman, Winning Director - "Filter"

To take part in Canon's Project Imaginat10n, the first film festival inspired by user-submitted photographs, consumers can visit: http://screen.yahoo.com.

Freestyle Picture Company produced the five celebrity director films as well as Bryce Dallas Howard's short film when you find me as part of Canon's Project Imagin8ion. Francesca Silvestri and Kevin Chinoy of Freestyle have a track record of shepherding first time directors.

Grey New York, Canon's agency partner for over thirty years, developed the creative and digital elements of the multi-phase campaign. Grey Activation and Public Relations managed the talent partnerships as well as the promotional, event and public relations efforts.

For the latest news and announcements related to Project Imaginat10n follow @CanonUSAImaging on Twitter and join the conversation with #CanonPI10.

About Canon U.S.A., Inc.

Canon U.S.A., Inc., is a leading provider of consumer, business-to-business, and industrial digital imaging solutions. With approximately $40 billion in global revenue, its parent company, Canon Inc. (NYSE:CAJ), ranks third overall in U.S. patents registered in 2012† and is one of Fortune Magazine's World's Most Admired Companies in 2013. In 2013, Canon U.S.A. has received the PCMag.com Readers' Choice Award for Service and Reliability in the digital camera and printer categories for the tenth consecutive year, and for camcorders for the past three years. Canon U.S.A. is committed to the highest level of customer satisfaction and loyalty, providing 100 percent U.S.-based consumer service and support for all of the products it distributes. Canon U.S.A. is dedicated to its Kyosei philosophy of social and environmental responsibility. To keep apprised of the latest news from Canon U.S.A., sign up for the Company's RSS news feed by visiting www.usa.canon.com/rss and follow us on Twitter @CanonUSA

ABOUT RON HOWARD

Ronald William "Ron" Howard is an American actor, director and producer. He came to prominence as a child actor, playing Opie Taylor in the sitcom The Andy Griffith Show for eight years, and later as the teenaged Richie Cunningham in the sitcom "Happy Days" for six years. He made film appearances in "American Graffiti" in 1973 and, while starring in "Happy Days," he also made "The Shootist" in 1976, as well as making his directorial debut with the 1977 comedy film "Grand Theft Auto." He left "Happy Days" in 1980 to focus on directing, and has since gone on to direct several films, including the Oscar-winning "Cocoon," "Apollo 13," "Frost/Nixon," and "How the Grinch Stole Christmas." Ron won the Academy Award for "A Beautiful Mind" as the director and also producer of the film. In 2003, he was awarded the National Medal of Arts.

†Based on weekly patent counts issued by United States Patent and Trademark Office.

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