The date may have changed this year, but the timing is the same.
Contestants in the Yukon 48 Challenge still have just 48 hours to devise, film and edit a short film for presentation.
While usually held in January, this edition of the contest will take place Nov. 15 to 17 in both Dawson and Whitehorse, and the results will be screened in both cities on Nov. 28.
In Dawson, the challenge is being organized by Klondike Institute of Art Culture (KIAC), and in Whitehorse the Yukon Film Society is running the event.
But participants don’t actually have to be in either of those cities. Dan Sokolowski, coordinator of the Dawson half, says one regular contestant will be uploading her entry from Ottawa.
However, being in either Dawson or Whitehorse will help participants tap into the energy of creation buzzing here in the Yukon Nov. 15 to 17.
Ange Bonicci, who works just a few desks away from him at the Klondike Institute of Art Culture, is gearing up to participate again this year.
Bonicci, who says she is more of an artist than a filmmaker, entered for the first time last year, and found it to be a great way to test her interest in the medium.
“I found the time constraint pretty freeing because there’s only so much you can do in just 48 hours,” she says. “I see it as a great opportunity to just experiment.”
Bonicci’s “Tunnel” came in at just under five minutes last year.
The parameters for the contest are wide open. Films can be live action, animation, fiction, drama, comedy, documentary or experimental.
The latter category is where Bonicci places her work from last year, which involved discovering images of light and dark all over town and them finding a way to link them together.
This was a little daunting at -45°C last January, so she is looking forward to being a bit warmer this year while shooting exteriors.
Sokolowski says some people come with a project already planned, but most people spend the first 24 hours defining their plans as well as shooting their footage, making it up as they go.
There are some cameras available for participants in Dawson at KIAC, but like the editing suites needed for the second day of work, these exist on a first-come-first-serve basis and so it is wise to come prepared. There is a $10 fee for equipment use on top of the $15 registration fee.
Editing takes up the bulk of the second day for most people.
There is no age restriction for the competition and entries may be individual or group efforts. Flims should be family-friendly and 10 minutes or under in length.
The winning entry in the contest will be screened at both the Dawson City International Short Film Festival and the Available Light Film Festival in 2014. Aside from the formal judging, there will be Audience Award winners selected by both Dawson and Whitehorse audiences.
The deadline for registration is the day before the contest, on Nov. 14. The films will be screened in Whitehorse at The Old Fire Hall, and in Dawson City at KIAC on Nov. 28 at 8 p.m. For more information go to www.YukonFilmSociety.com
