Buffalo Rising Online

May 22nd 2007, 10:20am By Joseph DiDomizio

June 18th is about three days before the official kick off of summer. This day stands out above the other Mondays, because this is first day to sign up for the 48-Hour Film Festival in Buffalo. Will you be tired of big crowds and walking around in art festivals and partying in the square every Thursday by then? Me neither, but if putting together a group of friends and creating a film from the screenplay to the final edit, over the course of 2 days does not sound like fun, I do not know what does. “This is something for fun,” explains Eric Ayotte, director of the Gadabout Traveling film festival and local producer for the 48-Hour Film Festival, “groups come together and make a film. A novice would have fun with it, not knowing how long it’ll take to make a film—anyone can come along and do it.”

Here is how it works: each team, which can be as small as one person, or as numerous as your entire MySpace friend list, signs up on June 18th. After about two months of preparation—which Ayotte says is one of the most important things to get ready before the festival (next to equipment)—the team then shows up on the evening of August 10th to get their assigned Genre and Required Elements. Required Elements are a character, a prop and a line of dialogue drawn from a hat that each team in the city has to use in some way in the film. The Genres are decided on year by year, and each team draws a different one. Once the drawing is finished and everyone has their assignment, the teams are let loose on the city, to return before that same time Sunday night, with a completed film, and very little sleep.

Allowing for a few days to relax, all of the completed and on-time films will be screen for the public at the Market Arcade Film and Art Center on August 15th and 16th. Out of the groups represented, three judges will declare the city-wide winner, and that film will compete against the winner in other cities in the national competition. Besides the best film category, there will be 12-15 other categories, as well as an audience award, where the audience gets to vote on the best film of the festival for a special award. Even if you cannot make it for the weekend, at least you can stop down and support your friend’s and family member’s films the following week. “There are lots of people who make films in Buffalo, and it is not something Buffalo is known for. A good response to the festival will bring good exposure to the film community in the area. This will bring people together to celebrate filmmaking in Western New York” Ayotte said.

Six years ago, in the DC area, Mark Ruppert, Liz Langston and several other filmmakers participated in an experiment to make a film in two days. After over 100 festivals having taken place all over the globe, this is the first time the festival has come to Buffalo.

Find out more about the festival, including specific venues, entry fees, dates and times, download legal forms, official rules, as well as how to sign up, visit: http://www.48hourfilm.com/buffalo