The 48 Hour Film Project is an international tour spanning over 80 countries, in each of which a team of TV and Film production professionals make a movie – that is, write, shoot, edit and score it – in just 48 hours. Last year saw over 40,000 participants ball their wears, emphasising the amount of growth the project has seen since it’s inception in 2001.

The whirlwind weekend aims simply to encourage filmmaking and promote filmmakers in various locations across the globe, holding events in 55 different US cities including Los Angeles, Chicago, New York, Boston, Austin, Washington DC, and more. On the Friday night, you get a character, a prop, a line of dialogue and a genre, all to include in your movie. 48 hours later, the movie must be complete. Then it will show at a local theater, usually in the next week. Having the 48 hour time limit is not meant to be seen as restricting, instead emphasizing that creativity and teamwork skills will serve you well. There is also something liberating about just going for it, and getting the shots, editing, and effects completed rather than talking too much about them and accomplishing nothing.

From the 48 Hour Film Project’s History, “Back in May 2001, Mark Ruppert came up with a crazy idea: to try to make a film in 48 hours. He quickly enlisted his filmmaking partner, Liz Langston, and several other DC filmmakers to form their own teams and join him in this experiment. The big question back then was ‘Would films made in only 48 hours even be watchable?’ The answer was a resounding ‘Yes’ “.

Entries for the Chicago weekend (July 29th) have just opened today (register here), and a full calendar can be found here. Rules and information for filmmakers can be found here, and they even include a list which you can join if you are not able to form your own team but wish to offer your services as part of a team in your area. (That’s right……… here.)


by Lee Jarvis.

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to our RSS feed

Before the Chicago Food Film Festival, there was the NYC Food Film Festival, which is now approaching its 5th year. The festival sprang from the imagination of Festival Director George Motz, the documentary filmmaker behind the award-winning Hamburger America film and book, along with co-creator Harry Hawk, formerly of Schnack and Water Taxi Beach. Through documentaries, features and short films, the Festival showcases the best, and the most memorable, of the world’s favorite foods. Along with a heaping helping of mouth-watering films, the festival serves up the food that guests are watching on the screen for a multi-sensory, full-bodied experience.

In 2009, acclaimed director Ron Mann called the festival “his absolute favorite” after his film Know Your Mushrooms was screened and followed by a 10-course mushroom-inspired tasting menu from Next Iron Chef star Brad Farmerie of Public and Double Crown. Other past events have included a screening of Whole Hog by Joe York, during which over 1000 people feasted on whole hog barbecue. Following a screening of the food film classic Big Night, the audience enjoyed a re-creation of the famous Timpano featured in the film. And at the World Premiere of Florent: Queen of the Meat Market, for one night only the audience was treated to memorable menu items from the shuttered iconic restaurant.

The First Annual Chicago Film Festival will take place over September 24-25th 2010 and is an exhibition only. Starting in 2011, the Chicago Food Film Festival will be a competitive film festival accepting entries in the Spring of 2011.

Chicago Food Film Festival 2010 Trailer from George Motz on Vimeo.

THE FILMS… (more…)

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to our RSS feed

This September, the New York Surf Film Festival brought together avid surfers, legendary surf photographers, film buffs and New York City audiences fascinated by the sport. It was a celebration of both the East Coast surf community but also the artistic integrity of the surf film genre. With three days of sold out screenings, over 3,500 people in attendance and numerous premieres and parties, the 2nd annual New York Surf Film Festival (NYSFF) wrapped up with an Awards Ceremony and after party at Red Bull Space.

The 2010 Festival has recently been announced for September 24th – 26th, and submissions are now open.

The New York Surf Film Competition is open to feature-length and short films in the surf genre. In order to be considered for the Festival’s Film Competition, submitted films must have been completed after July 2005. The running time for features must be greater than 30 minutes. Short films under 30 minutes in length are eligible for participation in the Short Film Program. Submissions open through May 15th, 2010.

Full details of the submission guidelines are available at http://nysurffilm.com/2009/12/02/2010-submissions-now-open/

This all reminds me, being a big surfing fan myself, I was daydreaming the other day and watching some highlight of the 2009-10 Eddie Aikau event. Check that out too…

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to our RSS feed