Who We Are

From Dream to Screen in Just 48 Hours

The 48 Hour Film Project is a wild and sleepless weekend in which teams make a movie—write, shoot, edit and score it—in just 48 hours.

On Friday night, teams a character, a prop, a line of dialogue and a genre, all to include in their movie. 48 hours later, the movie must be complete.

In 2011, over 50,000 filmmakers made 4,000 films in in 100 cities on five continents. 

Our Mission

The 48 Hour Film Project's mission is to advance filmmaking and promote filmmakers. Through its festival/competition, the Project encourages filmmakers and would-be filmmakers to get out there and make movies. 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."

Our History

Back in May 2001, Mark Ruppert came up with a crazy idea: to try to make a film in 48 hours. He quickly enlisted his filmmaking partner, Liz Langston, and several other DC filmmakers to form their own teams and join him in this experiment. The big question back then was: "Would films made in only 48 hours even be watchable?"

The answer was a resounding yes, and now ten years later and with more than 300 competitions having taken place around the world, it is amazing to consider the success of the Project. 2011 marks the 10th time we've hosted the event in Atlanta.