Registration opened today for the Film Lab’s 13th Annual 72 Hour Film Shootout (“Shootout”), which will take place in early June. Filmmakers began registering online at www.film-lab.org for this worldwide filmmaking competition, designed to promote ethnic and gender diversity in media, in which filmmaking teams are given a common theme at the start and then have 72 hours to write, shoot, edit, and complete short films up to five minutes in length. This year, the Film Lab says it intends to focus on the meaning of “American” – what does it really mean to be an American? Who “deserves” to be considered an American? “The idea came from one of our Board members, Aaron Woolfolk,” explained Film Lab President, Jennifer Betit Yen. “And the official tagline this year, ‘Stand Together,’ came from co-Shootout coordinator Cici Chu. We want to focus on what brings our diverse and heterogeneous nation together and on our common humanity.”
Registered competitors gain access to nearly a year’s worth of free programming ranging from filmmaking how-to workshops to networking events. The next event, moderated by Film Lab’s Renee Lasher, will take place in mid-March at the Time Warner Center in New York City. In the Shootout, teams compete for film festival and television exhibition, mentorship from top executives at major networks, such as ABC and NBC, cash, and other prizes. The top ten films have the chance to screen their films at the prestigious Asian American International Film Festival, the only festival of its kind on the East Coast. Teams also have an extended time period within which to submit a television version of their Shootout film for possible televised showcase by the Film Lab’s new production arm AAFL TV, for a special spring Shootout TV series on CrossingsTV (Time Warner Cable, Xfinity, etc.). Judges already confirmed include Marci Phillips (Executive Director of Casting for ABC Primetime), award-winning filmmaker Tami Gold, Michelle Sugihara (Executive Director of the Coalition of Asian Pacifics in Entertainment), David Elliott (talent agent at Don Buchwald & Associates), Antony Wong (Program Coordinator at the Asian American / Asian Research Institute (AAARI), of The City University of New York (CUNY)), and Girard Tecson, the Grand Prize winning filmmaker of the 2016 72 Hour Shootout. NBC executives Grace Moss, Director of Entertainment Diversity Initiatives for NBC, and Jandiz Cardoso, head of all in-front-of the camera initiatives for NBCUniversal’s Talent Development & Inclusion Department, will be offering one-on-one mentorships. Other prize sponsors include Face Off Unlimited, Bakerly, Bruce Cost Ginger Ale, The Collagen Bar, Bridging Cultures 101, CrossingsTV, and HypnoHeart Reiki Massage.
The Shootout creates opportunities for filmmakers of color and women, particularly Asian Americans, to demonstrate their talent, gain exposure in the entertainment industry and create positive significant impact on the visibility of Asian and Asian American stories and characters in film and television. One of the Shootout requirements is that at least one key production member (e.g., director, producer or writer) and a principal actor from each team must be of Asian descent. The competition is also a perfect way for filmmakers, actors, writers, directors, editors, and “newbies” to learn, test their abilities and teamwork without any significant financial or time commitment.