The Paradise48 Film Festival competition, presented by XR Entertainment in partnership with the BVI Film Commission and the USVI Film Office will take place on June 17-19 in St. Thomas. This will be followed by a festival-style premiere on June 25. The festival premiere is open to the community to attend and view the works of local creatives.
For the first time, a competition of this kind will take place in the Virgin Islands, giving local and foreign filmmakers a chance to showcase their stamina and craftsmanship. Competitors must gather their teams (directors, writers, actors, editors, etc.), and register to create a short film in just 48 hours. There are no limits to who can participate on a team as both amateurs and professionals are welcomed to enter the competition.
Paradise48 Film Festival challenges participants to create an original short film of four to seven minutes in length. Additionally, each film must incorporate specific elements that the festival organizers will provide at the Kickoff Event on Friday, June 17, just before the competition countdown begins. Teams will randomly select their genre, while organizers will provide the four required elements: a character, a prop, a line of dialogue, and a famous landmark.
The clock will start ticking exactly at 8PM sharp on Friday, and teams must race against the clock to get their films completed and submitted by Sunday, June 19th at 8PM. There will be two rounds of judging. Festival Managers will create a shortlist from the teams who submitted their films by the deadline. No more than 10 teams will make it to the final round and be screened at the festival premiere. From those films, the judges will decide the winners of the competition. There are 8 categories in which participants can win awards: Best Director, Best Film Editing, Best Screenplay, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Cinematography, Paradise 48 Fan Fave, and the grand prize winner, Best Picture.
The audience (in person and virtual) will receive a chance to vote on their favorite film. The film with the most votes at the end of casting will win the distinction of being the Paradise 48 Fan Fave!
In the weeks leading up to the festival, Paradise48 organizers will arrange a series of workshops to teach different aspects of filmmaking. The workshops will be perfect for filmmakers ranging from first-time to professionals who may want to brush up on their filmmaking skills and/or learn new ones.
Interested persons can find more information on the festival by visiting www.paradise48.com.