Imagine creating a film from scratch, starting on a Friday night, with two days to go through the entire process of writing a script, casting, rehearsing, shooting, editing, and producing the short film by Sunday evening.

The tight 48-hour schedule assures that focus is on the filmmaking, emphasising creativity and teamwork and “doing” instead of “talking.” Deadlines are tight and competition is fierce, but ultimately the result is a beautiful, thoughtful and entertaining short film.

This is the essence of the 48 Hour Film Project, the oldest and largest timed film competition in the world. The project better known by its abbreviated form, 48HFP, recently had a session in Nairobi, where 19 films were shot and produced in two days, culminating in a screening at Nairobi’s Planet Media Cinemas.

The films had to meet three specified requirements, which are standard for the 48 Hour Film Project globally: They all had to have one line of dialogue, a prop and a character in common. In this case, the prop was a torch, the line was “Don’t put it there,” and the character a chef named Catherine Njenga. Additionally, the genres ranged from film noir to musicals, with drama, comedy, silent film, time travel and film de femme in between, and these were chosen through a lottery conducted by the directors.

The end result was an eclectic mix of films, with a variety of stories. Some integrated the required character, line and prop seamlessly, while others struggled.

Some films were also light and entertaining, while others were deep and philosophical. The production quality also varied from film to film, with equipment ranging from aerial drones to handheld cameras. One team even shot their entire film on an iPhone. The films themselves averaged about seven minutes each, with a brief transition from one film to the next.

According to Carol Kioko, the project’s Nairobi producer, the 48HFP is an independent production undertaking that anyone can register for, regardless of age or level of skill. Teams can be of any size.

The project is reliant on funds raised through registration to support various logistical elements of the competition, and as such it has no cash sponsors.

Part of the allure of the competition is the element of surprise that surrounds it. Teams only discover what genre their film will be on Friday night — the start of the 48 hours. The aim of the competition is to challenge filmmakers to create good stories, to think out of the box and produce films that adhere to the strict production schedule and are also enjoyable.

Following the screening, the filmmakers are encouraged to enter their works in festivals around the world. The project also seeks to secure distribution for the films. Kioko said the 48HFP has a partnership with international broadcaster Shorts TV, which will select films to broadcast across Africa, Europe and the Middle East. 

Like any other film festival, the 48 Hour Film Project has awards based on preset criteria, with the winner named “Best Film – Nairobi”. The judges watch and discuss the films submitted to select the winners based on 48HFP criteria used across the world, focusing on the story, creativity, entertainment value, technical delivery and adherence to the assignment. 

The winning film is featured among other winning films from across the world at Filmapalooza, a film festival dedicated to short films, held in Hollywood, Los Angeles. Should the winning film from Nairobi be among the top 10 from the Filmapalooza festival, it will be featured in the Short Film Corner at the Cannes Film Festival later in the year.

Despite its far-reaching success, the 48 Hour Film Project has been able to preserve its grassroots heritage and continues to challenge independent filmmakers to up their game.

The emphasis on advancing filmmaking and promoting filmmakers also encourages the development of nascent film industries in the countries where the project takes place, Kenya included. The project unites established and up-and-coming filmmakers with audiences.

Through its unique festival/competition format, the project encourages filmmakers and would-be filmmakers to get out there and make movies.