[NEohioPAL] 48 Hour Film Project--Filmapalooza 2009 and other announcements!

[Brian Bowers]

In two weeks many eyes will turned towards sunny Miami, Florida for the kickoff of 48 Hour Film Project Filmapalooza 2009! This year's Filmapalooza will be hosted by the Miami International Film Festival from March 13th-15th. Cleveland will be represented by last year's Best Film team 529 Films for their short film "Striving for Excellence." The film also garnered several other of the 48HFP awards in Cleveland including Best Use of a Prop, Best Editing, and Best Directing. In addition Cleveland's very own Rick Montgomery, Jr. won Best Actor for his role in the film. Now "Striving for Excellence" will compete among the other Best Films from seventy different 48HFP cities from around the world, to see who will win the Best 48 Hour Film of 2008! Congratulations to 529 Films, and best of luck at Filmapalooza!

In other 48HFP news, George Butiri from last year's Two Martinis team has several different workshops available for filmmakers and actors. Check out www.workshop.Actingshowcase.com for more information on what is currently available. 

Lastly, I am excited to already be working on the 2009 48 Hour Film Project! If you're not currently signed up the mailing list, you can do so at www.48hourfilm.com/cleveland. Be sure to sign up and check the website from time to time, as we will be making updates as we set dates and announce more information. This year's contest will most likely be one of the first two weekends in August, with the film screenings starting the following Wednesday after the contest. Last year we had 24 teams participate, but many more who signed up at the last minute who were not able to participate because we had limited the contest to 24 teams. My goal for this year is to DOUBLE the amount of teams that participate and have two nights of screenings at the Cedar Lee. Registration will open about 8 weeks prior to the start of the contest--sign up right away so you don't miss out! 

If you didn't get to participate last year, you missed an exciting weekend! We hope to continue to have some of the same great events as last year including the Meet and Greet and Awards Party at Anatomy Nightclub, and the screenings again at the Cedar Lee Theatre (where we inadvertently caused a traffic jam in between screenings!). In addition, we're hoping to have even more opportunities to network before the contest, and are also currently looking for sponsors for cash and other prizes for this year's contest participants. For more information, be sure to check out www.48hourfilm.com/cleveland--and stay tuned for more updates!

Brian Bowers
48 Hour Film Project--Cleveland City Producer
www.48hourfilm.com/cleveland