Sometimes, you don’t need more than 48 hours to create cinema.
A lot can happen in two days. For instance, a short film can made shot, edited and completed within that time. That’s the aim of the 48 Hour Film Project, an international filmmaking contest. Last year, the contest was held in 55 cities across the world. This year, the contest has rolled into Mumbai after being held in such cities as Boston, Philadelphia and Singapore. Entries were invited and themes were handed out in the first week of May. Thirty-four films between four and seven minutes in duration were selected. These will be screened on May 16 at the PVR multiplex in Juhu. A jury comprising director Sudhir Mishra, actors Shabana Azmi and Soha Ali Khan and PVR CEO Ajay Bijli will select the winners. Most of the films are in Hindi or in English, but there’s also one Marathi entry.
The contest was conceived of by American filmmaker Mark Ruppert in 2001. The first festival was held in Washington and it has since grown vastly in scope and ambition. Ruppert told Nandini Ramnath in an email interview how it was possible to create cinema within just two days.
Why did you start the contest? What was the initial response?
I had read an article in the NY Times [New York Times] about two women who started one of the first 24-hour play competitions. I immediately thought this would be a cool concept for video – and that we would need more than 24 hours. So, the idea of a 48 hour filmmaking project was born.
It took me a couple of years to get around to trying it. In May 2001, I had completed a couple of short films with my filmmaking partner, Liz Langston, and I was looking for something new to do. I gathered several of my filmmaking friends in Washington DC and pitched them the idea of making a film in a weekend. They were all game, so we tried it one weekend.
We had 10 teams participating that first time. There were no prizes, just a real question: Is it possible to make a short film in 48 hours. The resounding answer was yes.
What are the challenges of making short films within two days?
It is really amazing to see how creative people are. We have had films of all types submitted to us, from animation to stop motion to HD to 16mm. People can find a way to make their vision come to life on film. The biggest challenges of making a film in two days are to have a good team and to be very organised. The first evening is spent developing a plot and writing a script. Saturday is spent shooting and beginning the editing. Sunday is when the real editing is done. It is a wild, adrenaline-filled weekend, and the producer/director usually doesn’t get much sleep.
This project has been held in several cities across the world. By being part of a global project, do the filmmakers get a chance to address local concerns?
The 48 Hour Film Project will be in 70 cities around the world this year. That speaks to the popularity of the project and the growth of filmmaking globally. It is up to the individual filmmakers to decide what their film will be about. In the first year in a city – for example this is our first year in Mumbai – the filmmakers must include a local landmark or element that is distinct to that city. At the kickoff event of the competition, the filmmakers receive a genre and generic required elements, a character, a prop and a line of dialogue (eg, Joe Fitzsimmon, Politician; Figurine; “Is that the way it goes?”). The filmmaker then creates his or her story.
The 48 Hour Film Project screenings and awards ceremony will be held at PVR Juhu on May 16. The time of the event hadn’t been decided at the time of going to press. Call Robina Gupta on 98203-42951 or call the multiplex on 2628-0101 or 2565-7770 for details. Also see www.48hourfilm.com. |
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