After a one-year hiatus due to Covid, the fourth annual 48-Hour Film Challenge at Kansas State will kick off on Thursday March 25, 2021 at 6:00 pm, and for the first time, we will be conducting both the kick-off event and our red carpet screening online.
If you’re new to the 48-Hour Film Challenge, the premise is simple: get together a team of 4-6 people (no more than 10), or, if you don’t have a team, register on your own and we’ll match you with one. Attend the (virtual) kick-off event to hear some encouraging words from our judges, listen to the rules, and receive your instructions: a line of dialogue, a setting, and a prop that must be used in each of the cinematic entries.
And then—the clock starts ticking!
Each team has exactly 48 hours to write, cast, shoot, edit, and upload a short film of any genre.
Two weeks later, we will gather again (virtually) for a red carpet event, during which we will find out who our expert panel of judges chose as our first, second, and third-place winners. We will also screen all the entries and the audience will vote for an audience choice award.
Participants in past years can attest to the team work, burst of creativity, confidence, and sleeplessness they experienced as they crafted their very new films.
You can learn about the experiences of previous team members in this video.
Also, check out some of our previous winning entries on the 48-Hour Film Challenge website, where you can also register.
Students are encouraged this year to take full advantage of the tools we’ve acquired during the pandemic, including creative editing; you don’t have to be on campus, or even in Manhattan, to participate. This has been a year like no other, and our films will reflect that.
So test your film-making skills. If you have any questions, check out the website, or email me at klkarlin@ksu.edu. And may the best film win!
— Katy Karlin, Associate Professor / Coordinator, Film Studies Certificate
K-State English 