72 Film Fest - 72 Hours to Make a Movie

335929_10150956451978952_1955219356_o2006. YEAR ONE. THEMES.
All of the entries to 2006, the first year of 72 Film Fest. Filmmakers had 72 hours to make a movie based around a particular theme, some chose a random CHALLENGE such as “no visual cuts”, or “no actors”.

SCREENING ORDER.
   CRITERIA – TEAM.
1. IDOLATRY – Crimson Visions
2. TRANSFORMATION – Sailor Jack Pictures
3. FREEDOM – The Mouthbreathers
4. ADDICTION (with no drugs, sex, or alcohol) – FredROCK Crew
5. CELEBRATION – Eyelounge
6. INVENTION – Team Bollywood
7. HOPE – Victory, Inc
8. DEATH (with Levity) – Bran Flager
9. NATURAL SELECTION – Team Rainbow
10. THE NUMBER OF MAN – 10/Ten
11. BLIND FAITH – Chon
12. DEATH AND REPRODUCTION – Open Bar
13. DEVOTION (with no visual cuts) – Team Zissou
14. GREEN – Laserstar Entertainment
15. WAR WITHOUT WEAPON – Indeed Productions

WATCH ALL OF THE ENTRIES:

2006 AWARDS:

Grand Jury Narrative – Steve Gibson and team Open Bar for “Death and Reproduction”
Grand Jury Documentary – Jennifer Herman of TKPROductions for “Marxian Theory on Creativity”
Audience Choice – Will Saxton and Team Rainbow for “Natural Selection”
Best Writing – Zoe Ubaldo and team FredRock Crew for “Squeeze” (theme: Addiction without sex, drugs, or alcohol)
Best Music – Barnaby Holmes and Team Zissou for “Devotion”
Producers’ Avante Garde Award – Brian Slagle and team Bran Flager for “Death with Levity”
Best Use of Mystery Criteria – Barnaby Holmes and Team Zissou for “Devotion”
Best Cinematography – Rupesh Mahajan and Team Bollywood for “Hope” (theme: invention)
Best Acting – Steve Gibson and team Open Bar for “Death and Reproduction”
Best Hair and Makeup – Nickolas Jackson and team Sailor Jack Pictures for “Rebecca” (theme: transformation)

Awards created by Beccah Bartlett and Gold Thumb Jewelers
Hosted by Mikael Johnson.

PRODUCER NOTES:  The first year of 72 Film Fest was actually the fourth year that the 72 Hour Contest was held in Frederick Maryland. 72 Film Fest was born out of the ashes of Frederick Festival of Film.  Clark Kline and Joey McAdams met on the board of that Festival and pitched the idea of a timed contest (mainly so they could compete in it).  When that festival disbanded earlier in the year, past competitors of Frederick Festival of Film, Jason Streff and Clark Kline, didn’t want the contest to die so they joined forces with ID Makers director Salyer McLaughlin and Cinemarts director Walter Chalkley to create 72 Film Fest: a two day event which was to include both local premieres of critically acclaimed independent films (The War Tapes, Mutual Appreciation, and The Inconvenient Truth) along with films made in 72 Hours by local filmmakers. The first year was a big success, but it was decided for year two that 72 would include only the 72 Hour contest, and go back down to one night.

The Host, Mikael Johnson, was also tasked with interviewing the teams about their projects as a rather dense on-the-street interviewer character, “Mr 72”. Teams were unfamiliar with Mikael and thus were completely confused by his incredibly dim questions, making for some fun antics screened between the film premieres. We take film and making movies seriously of course, but don’t necessarily take ourselves so seriously… so we enjoyed poking fun when we saw filmmakers that did. It set the tone for the Fest’s continual semi-tumultuous relationship between the comedy sketches and the filmmakers.

Produced by: Clark Kline Jason Streff  Salyer McLaughlin Walter Chalkley Host: Mikael Johnson “Mr 72″ Directed by Joey McAdams Starring Mikael Johnson Opening Music by Shane Gamble Awards designed by Rebeccah Leister