48Hours is NZ’s largest guerrilla filmmaking competition! There is nothing quite like it.
It started in 2003 as a sidebar to the Becks Incredible Film Festival with just 44 teams in Auckland only. The competition is now in its 19th year and has spread nationwide. In 2014 over 800 teams took part right across New Zealand. 2020 saw the special VF48LOCKDOWN edition after the main competition was cancelled due to Covid-19. Over 6000 shorts have been produced for 48Hours. An enormous amount of people have had a lot of fun. Yeah, each year there’s been equipment/rental facilities selling out, actors suddenly cancelling commercials, celebrity friends being abused, broken bones, relationships ending, moments of pure ecstasy, absolute exhaustion, extreme bonding, annoyed armed defenders, production gear disappearing, cars stolen, meltdowns – but the future of NZ film looks to be very healthy and appears to be in capable, if a little shaky, hands.
So, how does it work? It’s very simple; filmmakers have just one weekend to make a short film. Filmmakers don’t know what genre (thriller/romance etc.) they will be shooting until the start of the competition. All creativity: writing, shooting, editing and adding a musical soundtrack, must occur within the 48Hour window beginning Friday evening at 7pm and ending Sunday at 7pm. To add to the mayhem, they must also include some random elements.
48Hours is a serious challenge for both first-time filmmakers through to experienced directors.
This year the shoot weekend runs 5th – 7th March. You can find out all about the 2021 competition here.
To compete in the 48Hours you need to register a team in your local region. Teams can be any size. You can be an industry veteran or have never made a film before; the competition is open to everyone.
Earlybird registrations run February 1st – 14th at $199 per team.
Full registrations run February 15th – March 2nd at $260 per team.
If you want to find and join an existing team then join the competition’s Facebook group or get in touch with your nearest City Manager.
For more information, please contact Annie Lawler: annie@filmonaday.com / 0064 275 266 275
