Skip to content

The 48Hr Film Challenge invites young, aspiring Saudi and Saudi-resident filmmakers to create a short film in just two days; a collaboration between the Alliance Française, the French Consulate in Jeddah, and the Red Sea International Film Festival. Designed to prompt curiosity and innovation, and develop burgeoning film talent, the 48Hr Film Challenge sees the creation of intriguing shorts in an imaginative race against the clock. The organizers invite applications from teams of creatives aged 18–25, comprising up to five participants and led by a Saudi director or scriptwriter.

The official open call dates for the 48Hr Film Challenge are June 9 – July 7, 2024.

In July 2024, selected teams will receive an intensive two-day mentorship workshop in short film production, after which they will embark on the 48Hr Film Challenge. Working around set themes, including an unknown scenic or prop element, revealed just before the shoot, each team will work to beat the deadline, shooting and editing a short film of three to six minutes duration.

The challenge will culminate with 2 “Professional Days” as well as the screenings in September 2024, where two teams will be awarded 48Hr Film Challenge trophies. The winning team leaders will enjoy a residency at a film event in France in 2025.

Submissions are closed

The shortlisted teams for the fourth edition of the 48Hr Film Challenge are:

  • Cinergy, led by Omar Al-Abdulhadi
  • Visual Cortex, led by Rama Tayeb
  • Dimensions, led by Luai Alahmadi
  • The muses, led by Sereen Sultan
  • Thawaran, led by Rawan Alghamdi
  • SEE-PHONE, led by Nawaf Alkinani
  • Best In Town, led by Sahar Sulaiman
  • Seamless, led by Lamar Samarkandi
  • Westrich, led by Hassan Alradhi
  • Nafas, led by Rotana Alsharif
  • Maistro, led by Mohamed Abdul Jabbar
  • Takween, led by Duaa Aljaroudi
  • Papillon, led by Seba Bafil
  • July tie, led by Hatun Ali
  • The Dreamers, led by Mohamad Alhussini
  • By getting together a minimum of two and up to five people. (We welcome entries from aspiring filmmakers of all levels, and embrace first-timers too!)
  • Ages 18 to 25 – Saudi nationals or Saudi residents.
  • The team leader is required to submit the form on behalf of the team.
  • The team leader – either the director or script writer – must be a Saudi national.
  • We want to know more about them and their motivations – they are requested to send us a letter (in English) of no more than 1000 words, explaining:
    • Why they want to be involved in the 48Hr Film Challenge.
    • What they would bring to it,
    • Why they want the chance to compete for a residency in France.
  • A short script (written with the suggested themes, or a script they had written previously) – Submitting a script is optional.
  • Links to previous film or multimedia work, if found.
Complete and submit this form by the 7th of July, 2024
  • Teams will have to shoot a short film of 3–6 minutes duration, which can be fiction or nonfiction, narrative or documentary.
  • It will explore at least one of the following themes: de-coding, playing, creating, or thinking.
  • There will also be a sub-theme to include – from memory, time, technology, or breath.
  • Teams will enjoy a two-day online briefing, mentoring, and workshops program. This will be an invaluable learning experience where they will learn about everything that goes into writing, producing, and filming a short. It will equip them with the knowledge and technical guidelines to complete the challenge. It will take place on July 18-20, and all participants will be required to attend (except for the writing workshop, which will be specifically for the writer and director) – entry will not be allowed otherwise.
  • Participants will be required to have their own financial resources to produce the film, including all necessary funding and equipment. They will be able to use any camera for filming, including their smartphone cameras.
  • Shooting will take place on July 26-27. But there will be a twist! All shortlisted teams will face an imaginative challenge – 24 hours before the shoot, we will introduce a new element, and they will be required to include it in their films. It could be anything – from a small object or artifact to a more significant scenic element like a tree.
  • This will be a creative challenge, and will demand new work! That means the teams will not be able to reuse a film, script (or any footage) previously developed.
  • The film audio will have to be in English. However, teams will be able to shoot their films in Arabic, under the condition that they will have to subtitle them in English or French the day after the challenge.
  • If the film is shot in English (or without dialogue), no translation will be required.
  • Once the teams wrap up, the team leader will submit the film on behalf of the team.
  • After the shoot, all organizing partners (Alliance Française, the French Consulate, and the Red Sea International Film Festival) will have the right to use the film for screening, marketing, and communication purposes.
  • The jury will review all films, selecting two teams to be awarded the 48Hr Film Challenge Trophy.
  • “Professional Days” will be held as follows:
    • Riyadh: September 16-17
    • Jeddah: September 18-19
  • The screening of the films and the award ceremony will take place on September 19th.
  • The two winning team leaders will go on to a residency program in France in 2025.
  • In the event of unforeseen circumstances or force majeure causing the competition to be canceled, the organizers would not be held responsible vis-à-vis the candidates, for any reason whatsoever, and would be exempt from all charges (e.g. reimbursement of costs incurred). For reasons of organization and consistency, these regulations could be amended. In the event of any substantial changes, the organizers were to notify the candidates as soon as possible.
  • The winners consent to transfer, without reservation, the copyright they held in the works produced for the competition to the organizers. They consent to accept – for the purposes of the competition – the reproduction of their work, by any digital, sound, audiovisual, or multimedia means. This copyright cession was granted and maintained even in the event of a change in the winners’ professional or personal situations.
  • Any content considered inappropriate or plagiarized could lead to disqualification from the 48Hr Film Challenge.
  • Filmmakers agree to all interviews, photography, and video promotional material required by the Red Sea International Film Festival. The shortlisted contestants are featured across all promotional campaigns (including media, social media, and on partner websites) in connection with the 48Hr Film Challenge.
  • Applying for the 48Hr Film Challenge is considered consent for their image and likeness to be used.