Filmmakers are set to race against the clock in international competition.
The 48 Hour Film Project returns Sept. 5 to 7 for its third year, giving local creatives the ultimate filmmaking challenge: write, shoot, and edit a short film 鈥� in just 48 hours.
Part of a global competition held in over 100 cities, this is Western Canada鈥檚 Original 48 Hour Film Competition. Teams will compete not only for local bragging rights, but also for the chance to represent the Okanagan on the world stage 鈥� with the winning film advancing to Filmapalooza in Lisbon, Portugal, and potentially on to the Cannes Short Film Corner in 2026.
鈥淭his competition is for everyone 鈥� from seasoned pros to first-time filmmakers,鈥� says Harrison Coe, co-producer of the 48 Hour Film Project Okanagan. 鈥淚t鈥檚 fast, it鈥檚 creative, and it鈥檚 a blast.鈥�
The race begins at the kickoff event on Friday, Sept. 5 at 5:30 p.m. at SilverStar Brewing Co. in Vernon. Teams will randomly draw a genre and be assigned a prop, character, and line of dialogue that must be included in their film. From there, it鈥檚 a sprint to the finish, with final submissions due by 7:30 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 7.
鈥淓very year we鈥檙e blown away by the creativity that comes out of this weekend,鈥� says Heath Fletcher, co-producer. 鈥淚t鈥檚 an intense, high-energy experience 鈥� and the more teams we have, the more electric it becomes. We鈥檇 love to see groups from across B.C. get involved and help make this our biggest year yet.鈥�
Films will be judged by a panel of industry professionals based on artistic merit, technical execution, and adherence to the assignment.
The public will get a chance to see the results at the Premiere Screenings and Best-Of Awards Event on Oct. 19, 2025 at the Vernon Towne Theatre. Awards include Best Film, Best Directing, Best Acting, Best Use of Prop, and the Audience Choice Award.
Registration is now open at.
