The Little Cinema & Galway City of Film 48 Hour Challenge 2023 celebrated its seventh year on the August Bank Holiday weekend in Galway with another amazing screening of films made in the city and county in just 48 Hours. When applications opened for the Challenge in July, the 10 team spaces were snapped up in just over one day!
The Challenge launch was held in the Portershed a Dó on the 3rd of August. All teams attended the Launch and it was then that they found out the criteria which had to be incorporated into their films.
Each team was given the genre options of a Romance or Neo-Noir genre, which had to include the line “It would have been a good idea, but…”, incorporating a specific shot (Extreme Close Up), with the film based around an assigned prop (brought in by another team and randomly allocated at the Launch). Teams could sign in from 8.30am on Friday 4th August and begin work on shooting their films at 9am.
The teams were supported throughout the weekend by Kenny Gaughan (Little Cinema Co-Founder) based at the Portershed, and teams were visited by the social media team of Brigid Vinnell, Felix Ferguson and Chloe Richardson, who took photos and videos of the behind the scenes, edited together by Matthew Blayney. The films created had to be submitted by 10am on Sunday 6th August.
Filmmakers met at the Town Hall Theatre for a 4 Star Pizza reception at 5pm ahead of the doors opening to be public at 6pm for the screening at 7pm.
The judges for the Challenge were film editor John Murphy (An Cailín Ciúin, North Circular), content editor Roisín Ní Thuairisg (BLOC TG4), composer Steve Lynch (Obituary, Wreck), and actress Tara Breathnach (Detainment, Suffragettes with Luch Worsley) who awarded prizes for Best Prop, Best Line, Best Music Score, Best Editing, Best Special FX, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Writing, Best Cinematography, and Best Film. The audience then voted for the Audience Award.
The Best Film will go forward to earn a place on the Shorts Programme at the Galway Film Fleadh 2024.
The annual Galway City of Film programme is managed by Ardán and supported by Galway City Council, Galway County Council, and the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport & Media. Thanks also to TG4, Unbound Media, and Campus Living for their ongoing support of the Challenge!
Read more about the 2023 48 Hour Challenge Here: https://ardan.ie/film/little-cinema-galway-city-of-film-48-hour-challenge-2023-teams-films-winners/
