It may not be the Cannes Film Festival, but Gainesville residents will soon have the chance to claim their place in the world of independent filmmaking.
The "3 Day Film Challenge" gives contestants three days to write, direct and edit a short film before it is judged by a panel of experts. The challenge will be held from Jan. 13 to 16. The screenings, open to the public, will be the following week.
The creators and hosts of the event, Elliott Doolittle, 24, an audio production graduate of the International Academy of Design and Technology in Tampa, and Lane Abraben, 24, a UF graduate student in agricultural economics, announced the contest today.
The Gainesville natives decided to host the contest after Doolittle competed in a similar event in Tampa, "The 48 Hour Film Project."
"It would be really cool to have that in Gainesville, but why do it through them? Why not just start my own?" Doolittle said.
He said he enjoyed the contest, but there were too many requirements, so he and Abraben applied only two to their competition.
"The only reason we are sticking with requirements is so they can't turn in something they have already made," Doolittle said. "You can't trust everybody. There has to be something they have to work in that has an element of surprise. But we want them to be as broad as possible."
Other than the two requirements, which will be announced the first day of the contest, there are no restrictions on the subject matter of the film, as long as no obscenity or pornography is involved.
Other rules and regulations, including a seven-minute time limit, parental consent for participants under 18 and submission guidelines can be found at www.the3dayfilmchallenge.com.
Teams will be required to pay $145 to enter the competition. There is no limit on the number of team members.
Prizes will be awarded after the screening of the films, where a panel of judges will choose a winning film. A viewer's choice award and subcategory winners will also be announced.
