IFFI:800 filmmakers to make movies in 48 hours!

Amateur and professional filmmakers have been invited to participate in a marathon filmmaking project called The Mumbai 48 Hour Film Project (48HFP). In a 48-hour stretch over a weekend, participants are expected to script, shoot, edit and score for their films and submit the final entries by Sunday. The real challenge is that every film has to incorporate three elements – a line of dialogue, a prop and a character – which are decided on the spot at the Kick Off.

The response is phenomenal this year with over 80 teams taking part in the Mumbai leg of this international filmmaking competition. Over 800 filmmakers have signed up from across the country including cities like Bhopal, Gwalior, Indore, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad and Pune among others. The filmmaking weekend is from Friday Nov. 12 to Sunday Nov. 14, 2010. The challenge is that the genre and three elements will be disclosed on Friday at a Kick Off event.

“This year’s line-up of jury and prizes is great,” says Preeti Gopalkrishnan and Yogi Chopra, the Mumbai Producers. Among the renowned film personalities supporting the event are Amol Palekar, Nagesh Kukunoor, Dolly Thakore, Balki, Paromita Vohra, Shimit Amin, Manish Jha and Niranjan Iyengar. All the jury members are excited to see what the 48-hour filmmaking format churns out. On Friday the jury will interact with the teams at a panel discussion on the format of short films and how it is relevant to the industry today.

Director Nagesh Kukunoor says, “The 48-hour format is a great precursor to the real world of filmmaking which is fraught with ridiculous deadlines, a ton of pressure from all sides but pure unadulterated fun! I’m looking forward to some crazy creativity!”

A filmmaker who started off with short films, Manish Jha is thankful to this form which became his platform for his first feature, the hard-hitting Mathrubhoomi, A Village Without Women. Theatre actor and socialite Dolly Thakore hopes aspiring filmmakers will use this rare opportunity to channelize their creative energies into something productive. Niranjan Iyengar, lyricist and screen-dialogue writer of several Bollywood blockbusters Kal Ho Na Ho, Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna, My Name is Khan hopes that this competition spurs “fresh vision”, which is lacking in mainstream filmmaking.

The top prize is the Best Film – Mumbai which then becomes a contender for the Best

International Film. Mumbai’s Best Film will also be screened at the Miami International Film Festival 2011. “The most coveted prize is the chance for 10 Best Films from the world over to be screened at the Cannes 2011 Film Festival’s Short Film Corner. We have also tied up with the 41st International Film Festival of India (IFFI), Goa to screen the top films from Mumbai,” says Yogi. Other films will be screened at Whistling Woods International and a prominent Mumbai college to open audience.

Screenings will also be held in November to showcase the Mumbai films through film clubs and societies like the Friends of Cinema, Bombay Elektrik Project and Enlighten. “The whole effort was directed at giving the best films and filmmakers their due by taking them beyond just the competition,” adds Preeti.

In keeping with the international format, the competition will be flagged off on a Friday at a Kick Off Party, where the teams will be allotted their film genres including Comedy, Drama, Fantasy, Film de Femme, Film Noir, Horror, Mockumentary, Musical or Western, Road Movie, Romance, Sci Fi, Silent Film and Thriller/Suspense. Jury members are being invited to interact with the participants at this party to inspire them on how to make the best of their 48 hours. A sleepless, chaotic 48 hours later on Sunday evening, the teams have to submit their completed films.