PORTLAND – Two filmmakers with roots in Maine have won a $1.7 million budget and the backing of Matt Damon, Ben Affleck and Miramax studios for their next project.

Efram Potelle and Kyle Rankin won the directors contest of Project Greenlight at the Sundance Film Festival. Rankin and Potelle, both 30, were among more than 9,000 screenwriters and directors who entered.

The pair are scheduled to begin shooting “The Battle of Shaker Heights” in March. The film is already scheduled to be in theaters nationally in August.

From now until the completion of the film, Potelle and Rankin will be followed by HBO camera crews for a 13-part documentary series “The Making of The Battle of Shaker Heights” to begin airing in June.

“There’s a lot of pressure on us, but it’s exciting,” Rankin said. “Both Efram and I feel strongly we wouldn’t be here now if it weren’t for the support we got in Maine. Hopefully we’ll come back soon with a budget.”

“The Battle of Shaker Heights” was written by Erica Beeny of Cleveland, Ohio, the winner of the screenplay portion of the Project Greenlight. It is a coming-of-age story about a high school student who is a World War II battle re-enactor.

Nine months ago, Potelle and Rankin left Portland for Los Angeles after a decade of making small films in Maine. Rankin is a native of York, and Potelle is from Fairfield.