Film in 48

Imagine having forty-eight hours to write, rehearse, film, and edit a four- to seven-minute film. The 48 Hour Film Project puts that challenge to novice and professional filmmakers around the world, including in Minneapolis.

The competition originated in 2001 in Washington, D.C., and was first held in Minnesota in 2004. “I wanted to participate, but no producer jumped on board to bring it here,” says local 48 HFP producer Ira Livingston, who has since taken the festival to several other cities as well, including Chicago and Fargo.

The number of Minneapolis teams participating has more than doubled, jumping from just twenty-six in 2004 to sixty in 2006. Only three other cities had more participants, and this year, filmmakers in sixty-six cities will participate.

Teams are made up of anywhere from one amateur filmmaker shooting, directing, and acting in a film to a collaboration of as many as forty-plus professionals. “In Minneapolis, it’s definitely a battle of the big boys,” says Livingston, who notes that many entrants are pros.

This year’s Minneapolis 48 HFP kicks off June 8, when teams convene at Midtown Global Market to literally pick a genre out of a hat. Then, all the teams are given one character, one prop, and one line of dialogue that they must put into the film, no matter the genre.

Getting these guidelines at the last minute makes it hard to cheat, says Livingston. “Basically, all you can do is lock down your locations, talent, and crew beforehand, then just roll with the punches as they come your way.”

Two days later, teams drop off the finished films at Midtown Global Market, then await the judges’ ruling. One film in each city is named “Best Picture,” and then moves on to compete against the other cities’ “Bests,” with one winning the title “48 Hour Film of the Year.” Last year, about 1,200 people screened the films. This year, the premieres are held at the Riverview Theater, with each showing featuring a different group of films. June 12–14. Riverview Theater, 3800 S. 42nd St., Mpls.

Megan Wiley is Mpls.St. Paul Magazine’s online editor.