48 Hour Film Project this weekend at the Byrd

Who knows? You might see a short film from the next Scorsese or Hitchcock.

July 23, 2014; 6:00 AM • by Nathan Cushing

Many local filmmakers will screen their latest short films this weekend when the 48 Hour Film Project premieres them at the Byrd Theatre.

Producers of the 48 Hour Film Project–an international tour that taps filmmakers in each city to create films and then screens them locally–assigned local filmmakers a genre, character, prop, and a line of dialogue to be included in their film. Directors had only 48 hours to write, shoot, edit, and score their films, which they did last weekend.

The Byrd will screen the locally made films between 1:00 – 4:30 PM on Saturday and Sunday. Weekend passes cost $15. Individual screenings cost $10.

The Byrd will also host the Best Of Screening highlighting this year’s best local films on Sunday at 3:00 PM. Tickets for that screening are $10.

The 48 Hour Film Project tour will visit more than 120 cities worldwide–including Berlin, Cape Town, Sydney, and Rome–where over 60,000 people will create short films. Each city will have its own judges, who will award various honors to select local filmmakers.

Here’s Devoured, winner of Best Film and Best Directing from last year’s festival:¹

And here’s @The_Photobomber, last year’s Runner-Up:

The 48 Hour Film Project’s mission is to advance filmmaking and promote filmmakers:

The tight deadline of 48 hours puts the focus squarely on the filmmakers — emphasizing creativity and teamwork skills. While the time limit places an unusual restriction on the filmmakers, it is also liberating by putting an emphasis on “doing” instead of “talking.”

The 10 best films of the 2014 tour will be screened at the Cannes Film Festival‘s Short Film Corner in 2015.