HYDERABAD: The competition in making a film in 48 hours flat came to an exciting close on Sunday with 27 of the 60 movies shot being finished and submitted for entry within the deadline. The participants in the internationally-renowned 48- Hour Film Programme (48HFP), some of them in their 50s, seemed relieved at the end of their hectic but satisfying work.
“We are no longer young but the challenge of making a movie in 48 hours flat has left us exhausted. We have not slept for two days. But the experience has been so great that now we are ready to make a film in just 24 hours if a challenge is thrown at us,” said Prabhakar Jaini, a 50-year-old commercial tax officer. He and his team, the senior-most group among the competitors, made ‘Suspense Thriller’ on children’s growing addiction to cartoon channels and parents’ reactions.
“We may be amateurs but we have learnt handling a high-end movie camera and other technical stuff over the weekend”, said Chalapathi Rao, another team member.
But not all are a happy lot. Some crossed the 7:30 pm deadline and were obviously disappointed. “Traffic snarls delayed us,” said Sriram of 20 Pixel Pictures who came all the way from Bangalore. His entry, a silent movie, was not considered for the prize draw due to delay in entry by two minutes. “We will though be eligible for the late entry category, in which our movie will be screened but will not be in contention for the prize,” he said. Incidentally, his group had won a similar competition held in Hyderabad last month.
The organisers consoled the latecomers by explaining that the 48-hour challenge was all about management of time and resources efficiently. Yogi Chopra, co-producer, said they had expected at least 38 teams to finish the movies in time. The winners of the competition will be announced on April 14, and their movies will be screened at St. Mary’s School Auditorium.