From 2010 to 2011, we have more than doubled the amount of teams in Johannesburg. With an enormous outcry from those on the waiting list this year we are expecting than 96 teams in Johannesburg alone and 24 in Cape Town. This year we advise teams to register as soon as possible as spots fill up quickly!

This year Cape Town will join Johannesburg as one of a record 80 cities worldwide to be included in the 48 Hour Film Project’s expanded 2012 tour. In 2011, nearly 60,000 filmmakers made 4,000 films in 96 cities on 6 continents.

Johannesburg and Cape Town filmmakers will join more than 35,000 people expected to take part in the competition, relying on inspiration, adrenaline, and gallons of coffee to complete short films of up to seven minutes in only two sleepless days.

Participating teams will be given a genre, a character, a prop, and a line of dialogue that they must work into their piece. They will be responsible for putting together a cast and crew, and getting equipment and anything else needed to make a film/video. Films submitted even one minute late will be disqualified.

Films will be screened for the public in both Cape Town and Johannesburg, where the audience will select the cities best film. The winners will then be in the running for top honors and attend the Filmapalooza, the 48 Hour Film Project’s annual awards event honoring the year’s top films, which will take place in Los Angeles in 2013. Films will also compete to be among 14 films to be screened at the Cannes Film Festival’s Short Film Corner in 2013 and filmmakers will also be flown to France for an experience of a life time.

This is the 48HF Project’s 3rd year in Johannesburg and a 1st for the Mother City, Cape Town.  Our winning film ‘Child’ from last year (2011) came out in the top 14, winning top honors at the Filmapalooza, the 48 Hour Film Project’s annual awards event honoring the year’s top films, which took place in Taos New Mexico, as part of the Taos Shortz Film Fest.

Our Proudly winning South African Film ‘Child’ also screened at the prestigious Cannes Film Festival’s Short Film Corner in 2012 as part of the winning films of the Filmapalooza.

The tight deadline may seem like an obstacle, ultimately it places the emphasis on creativity and teamwork, and gooses participants into making their films rather than just talking about them. More importantly, it breaks down barriers by allowing anyone with a free weekend, a video camera, and boundless creative energy to experience the fun, exhilaration, and satisfaction of producing a fully-realized film.”

Since its 2001 launch in Washington, D.C. by filmmakers Mark Ruppert and Liz Langston, the project has become a global cultural phenomenon, with a total of more than 130,000 participants producing nearly 9,000 short films. An archive of past films can be found at www.48.tv.

“The fact that we continue to expand to new cities every year confirms that the project has truly struck a nerve with filmmakers and audiences around the world,” said Langston, co-executive director of The 48 Hour Film Project. “We’re thrilled to be returning to some of our old stops, as well as introducing the tour to new cities such as Cape Town in 2012.”